|
|
Regional Refinement of Diagnostic Tool for Setting Water Quality Targets for the Protection and Restoration of SAV
Submerged grasses in the Chesapeake now cover only 20 percent of the bottom acreage they covered forty years ago, a loss that has had widespread impacts on fish, crabs and countless other organisms. Efforts at grass restoration have been stymied by shore erosion, runoff and dense algal growth, all of which can so darken nearshore waters that grasses do not receive enough light for photosynthesis. What are the most important factors? There is no general answer – each site is specific. Charles Gallegos has used optical properties of suspended sediments, algae and nutrients in the Rhode River to develop a set of diagnostic equations that can distinguish key factors impeding the transmission of light; the results of his model offer managers options for better targeting remediation strategies that could improve light availability. In this project, he will apply the techniques he has developed to different regions in the Patuxent River; he will also compare water samples in the Patuxent with those taken by state agencies to determine if it is possible to use those samples for making similar predictions in other regions of the Bay system.
|
Charles Gallegos
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
|
|
|
|
