Abstract

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Paper
Restoration Site Selection for Estuarine Seagrass
Track: Ecology and Conservation
Author(s): Hyun Jung Cho, Christopher May, Melissa Larmer, Jonathan Jones, John Young

Proper site selection for seagrass habitat restoration requires landscape level research and planning. The seagrass distribution at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GBNERR), Mississippi, mapped in ArcGIS 9.1, indicates that wind-driven waves and underwater light availability are the main limiting factors. Surface and underwater light was monitored biweekly at selected beds and used to calculate the mean light absorption coefficients through the water column. Then the coefficients were used to determine the depth limit that would permit seagrass growth. Water depth data were downloaded from the National Geophysical Data Center Web site and interpolated using Kriging method within the Spatial Analyst. Currently, the area within the depth limit is approximately 1700 ha. A 20 percent water clarity improvement through watershed management would increase the maximum seagrass depth by 0.3 m. The areas with gradual shoreface slopes and protected from waves are the most feasible restoration sites.

Hyun Jung Cho
Jackson State University
1400 Lynch St.
Jackson , MS 39217
US
Phone: 601-979-3912
E-mail: hyun.j.cho@jsums.edu

Christopher May
Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
6005 Bayou Heron Rd.
Moss Point , MS 39562
US
Phone: 228-475-7047
E-mail: chris.may@dmr.ms.gov

Melissa Larmer
Jackson State University
Biology
1400 Lynch St.
Jackson 39217
US
Phone: 601-979-3912
E-mail: larmer02@gmail.com

Jonathan Jones
Jackson State University
Biology
1400 Lynch St.
Jackson , MS 39217
US
Phone: 601-979-3912
E-mail: jrjones832@aol.com

John Young
Jackson State University
1400 Lynch St.
Jackson , MS 39217
US
Phone: 601-979-8249
E-mail: john.h.young@jsums.edu