HAPPY INTERNATIONAL SEAGRASS DAY!!!?????????? SEAGRASS IS AN EXTREMLY CRITICAL FACTOR IN SUPPORTING LIFE ON PLANET EARTH!!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL SEAGRASS DAY!!!??????????

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#Solidarity_with_Ukraine!!

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WORLD SEAGRASS DAY – WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

"Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the order Alismatales (in the class of monocotyledons).

Seagrasses evolved from terrestrial plants which recolonised the ocean 70 to 100 million years ago.

The name seagrass stems from the many species with long and narrow leaves, which grow by rhizome extension and often spread across large "meadows" resembling grassland; many species superficially resemble terrestrial grasses of the family Poaceae.

Like all autotrophic plants, seagrasses photosynthesize, in the submerged photic zone, and most occur in shallow and sheltered coastal waters anchored in sand or mud bottoms.

Most species undergo submarine pollination and complete their life cycle underwater. While it was previously believed this pollination was carried out without pollinators and purely by sea current drift, this has been shown to be false for at least one species, Thalassia testudinum, which carries out a mixed biotic-abiotic strategy.

Crustaceans (such as crabs, Majid zoae, Thalassinidea zoea) and syllid polychaete worm larvae have both been found with pollen grains, the plant producing nutritious mucigenous clumps of pollen to attract and stick to them instead of nectar as terrestrial flowers do.

Seagrasses form dense underwater seagrass meadows which are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. They function as important carbon sinks and provide habitats and food for a diversity of marine life comparable to that of coral reefs."

(Source: Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagrass)

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"Seagrasses are flowering plants that have adapted over millions of years to life in the sea. They form dense, underwater meadows in the shallow, coastal areas of our seas. Seagrass meadows provide a habitat for thousands of species of marine animals, support the livelihoods of millions of people, produce oxygen, clean our coastal waters, buffer against ocean acidification, stabilise our coastlines and are a significant carbon sink. They are fantastic ecosystems that deserve recognition and today is all about giving them that. Today is World Seagrass Day.

Despite their many ecosystem services which are beneficial to planet and people, seagrasses are globally threatened. It is estimated that we lose approximately 7% of our global seagrass meadows each year, equivalent to a football field every 30 minutes. This is often a result of industrial and agricultural pollution leading to poor water quality, coastal development and in some locations damaging fishing practices

The decade between 2021-2030 is the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, a critical decade for seagrass conservation. We must not only prevent the loss of existing seagrass beds but also restore what has already been lost."

Source: https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/stories/world-seagrass-day-what-it-all-about

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"Seagrasses form vast underwater meadows that provide habitat for countless other organisms and directly influence key ecosystem processes like carbon storage and erosion control.?But seagrasses are also under threat from human-caused changes in the environment like warming temperature and cloudy water. Our goal is to understand how genetic diversity within eelgrass, a seagrass found throughout the northern hemisphere, provides resilience to this species and the ecosystems it supports..." Dr. Stachowicz - Professor of Evolution and Ecology at the University of California, Davis

Source:https://marinescience.ucdavis.edu/blog/world-seagrass-day#:~:text=Join%20us%20in%20a%20celebration,being%20impacted%20by%20climate%20change.

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"THE IMPORTANCE OF SEAGRASS MEADOWS

By Ocean Mimic

Without doubt, seagrass meadows play a vital role in our oceans. However, seagrass meadows are one of the most threatened habitats globally and also one of the most overlooked. These seemingly unsuspecting marine flowering plants play a crucial role in keeping our oceans healthy and providing habitat for a whole host of marine life.

Here we will learn more about these secret underwater forests and what we can do to help protect them into the future …

CREATING HABITAT FOR OTHER IMPORTANT SPECIES

Seagrass is capable of turning mud and sandflats into incredibly complex meadows. These underwater forests create an entire ecosystem that supports thousands of marine animals, such as more than 1000 species of fish. These underwater meadows also support endangered species like turtles and seahorses. They are also crucial nurseries for juvenile fish. In fact, it’s estimated that seagrass meadows support the productivity of around 20% of the world’s biggest fisheries! Finally, they also provide a safe place where species like cuttlefish and sharks can lay their eggs.

As well as providing habitat, they also provide a vital food source that is a key part of the food web and a particular favourite of dugongs, manatees and some turtles.

IMPROVING WATER QUALITY

Seagrass plays a role in chemical processes such as water purification. As marine plants, seagrasses photosynthesise, which helps oxygenate the water column. Seagrass meadows also stabilize sediment which improves water clarity, which also improves local water quality. By filtering the water column, seagrass removes seawater pollution. This includes removing fish pathogens, which helps keep local fish populations healthier, reduce contamination in seafood and reduce coral disease.

SEAGRASS MEADOWS PROTECT OUR COASTLINES

With rising sea levels, many coastlines are under threat from erosion. Healthy seagrass meadows reduce the power of waves hitting the coast and as some seagrass species have leaf blades up to 1m long, this can really help dampen wave action. Through reducing wave action this also protects coastlines from flooding and storms.

SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES

They are recognised as globally important habitats. Contributing significantly to human well-being and marine diversity because of the huge number of benefits healthy seagrass meadows can naturally provide us. Known as ecosystem services.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that through providing food and financial income from coastal fishing, coastal protection and their cultural significance, seagrasses support approximately three billion people. This makes seagrass meadows the third most valuable habitat in the world, after estuaries and wetlands. To put this in monetary terms, seagrass ecosystems contribute an estimated $1.9 trillion USD per year to the global economy.

SEAGRASS EVEN TRAPS OCEAN PLASTICS

Recent research has found that these amazing meadows also play a role in trapping ocean plastics. Floating plastics, such as those seen in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, are estimated to only make up 1% of global ocean plastic with the rest sinking to the seafloor. Seagrasses are able to trap these pieces of plastic within their natural fibres which eventually form small balls known as ‘neptune balls’. These plastic bundles are ejected from the meadow during storms and wash up on beaches. The study estimated that seagrass meadows in the Meditarrean alone can trap approximately 867 million pieces of plastic every single year.

OFFSETTING CLIMATE CHANGE

Seagrass is one of the most important species in the sea for locking in harmful carbon dioxide. The greenhouse gas known to significantly contribute to global warming. Amazingly, seagrass absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere up to 40 times faster than tropical rainforests, which helps to offset climate change.

Seagrass meadows occupy less than 0.2% of the world’s oceans, yet they are responsible for more than 10% of all carbon buried annually in the oceans. The natural ability of seagrass to offset carbon dioxide emissions has hugely important implications for climate change mitigation.

SEAGRASS MEADOWS ARE UNDER THREAT

Seagrass meadows are in decline. Conservative estimates show that around 58% of seagrass meadows are in decline. The rate of seagrass loss is comparable to those being recorded for mangroves, coral reefs, and tropical rainforests. Making seagrass meadows among the most threatened ecosystems on earth. In a recent study, scientists estimated that we are currently losing a football field size area of seagrass every 30 minutes.

There are several reasons behind the widespread loss of seagrass meadows. Seagrasses are experiencing the five most serious threats to marine biodiversity; overexploitation, physical modification (such as the building of ports and harbours), nutrient and sediment pollution, introduction of non-native species and global climate change. Direct and immediate seagrass loss is caused by destructive fishing practices, coastal engineering and extreme weather events. More indirect and potentially more damaging are the impacts of declines in water quality.

Hopefully by now you have realised how amazing seagrass is (if you didn’t already know)! These vital underwater meadows do so much to protect us, lets help them out in return"

Source: https://ocean-mimic.com/seagrass-meadows/

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WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP SEAGRASS MEADOWS?

DONATE

There are lots of incredible organisations actively fighting to conserve seagrass meadows around the world. Examples to check out include Project Seagrass, the Marine Conservation Society and the Ocean Conservation Trust.

CITIZEN SCIENCE

Know of a local seagrass meadow near you? Help contribute to global maps to identity where seagrass meadows are using Seagrass Spotter. With just a few taps of your phone, you could help lead to new discoveries about seagrass whilst being part of the global community of ocean enthusiasts.

ADVOCATE FOR ACTION

Campaign for changes to regulations or laws that help protect and conserve seagrass meadows, such as sewage pollution. Petitions are a great way of advocating for action.

TAKE ACTION

There are lots of other activities you can do that will help seagrass meadows. Beach cleans and volunteering with your local wildlife organisation or charity and making more sustainable choices are all amazing ways to improve the health of our oceans and coastlines.

Education is key! Educating others helps raise awareness of the importance of seagrass meadows and encourages others to help protect and conserve seagrasses."

Katie Watson is a marine biologist, researching how to improve seagrass restoration in South Africa before this incredible ecosystem is lost. Go explore the underwater world with her on IG: @underwaterwithkatie to learn how surprising and diverse marine life really is!

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"HOW SEAGRASS CAN AID IN CURBING COASTAL EROSION

These ubiquitous marine plants dissipate wave energy that can help protect vulnerable shorelines, improve water quality as well as store carbon to limit climate change

Coastal lines facing threats from rising sea levels can be protected by seagrass, finds a study that showed the ubiquitous marine plants can also help improve water quality as well as store carbon to limit climate change.

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, have for the first time used mathematical modelling to understand that large and dense a continuous meadow of seagrass can help provide adequate damping of waves, which can not only prevent beach erosion but also protect seawalls.

In the study, artificial versions of seagrass, were assembled from materials of different stiffness to reproduce the long, flexible blades and much stiffer bases that are typical of seagrass plants such as Zostera marina, also known as common eelgrass.

These artificial plants were set up in a meadow-like collection in a 24-metre wave tank in MIT’s Parsons Laboratory, which can mimic conditions of natural waves and currents, and were subjected to a variety of conditions, including still water, strong currents, and wave-like sloshing back and forth.

Next, the simulated seagrass plants were subjected to very low-velocity waves. Using the physical and numerical models, the researchers analysed how the seagrass and waves interact under a variety of conditions of plant density, blade lengths, and water motions.

The study, published in two research journals — Coastal Engineering and the Journal of Fluids and Structures — demonstrated that by reducing the force of the waves and thus providing protection against erosion, the seagrass can trap fine sediment on the seabed and prevent the growth of algae, which in turn causes a depletion of oxygen that can kill off much of the marine life, a process called eutrophication.

Further, the seagrass also has a potential to store carbon dioxide, using its own biomass as well as by filtering out fine organic material from the surrounding water, said Heidi Nepf, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the MIT.

An acre of seagrass can store about three times as much carbon as an acre of rainforest. Globally, seagrass meadows are responsible for more than 10 per cent of carbon buried in the ocean, even though they occupy just 0.2 per cent of the area, added Jiarui Lei, a doctoral student at the MIT.

Using “this model the engineers and practitioners can assess different scenarios for seagrass restoration projects, which is a big deal right now,” Lei said, adding that a smaller area, less expensive to restore, might be capable of providing the desired level of protection.

Source: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/environment/amp/how-seagrass-can-aid-in-curbing-coastal-erosion-64343

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George Florin Staicu

Independent banking, microfinance, SME lending, strategic planning, United Nations 2030 Agenda - Sustainable Development Goals, Environment Social Governance standards, digital green inclusive finance, agriculture & aquaculture finance, ocean finance, blue food finance, circular economy, social performance, risk management learning & development consultant, trainer, business coach and McKinsey survey panelist

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