Organic Matter Content and Grain Size Analysis in Seagrass Sediments ...

• Main Authors: Amrhein, Adriana, Hale, Rip
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Old Dominion University Libraries 2023
• Subjects: South Bay; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25883/ptzc-8955; https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2023_sciences/15/

Anthropogenic stresses including increased water temperatures, decreased water quality, sea level rise, ocean acidification and sediment biogeochemical processes have caused a significant loss in seagrass meadow acreage. Seagrass meadows provide coastal protection from storms and recently have been emphasized for their importance in sequestering and storing “Blue Carbon” from the atmosphere and ocean. Seagrass meadows can trap this blue carbon in their sediment as organic carbon, and it can be stored for hundreds to thousands of years. Restoration efforts of seagrass meadows in the Virginia coast started in the 1990s and effects of increasing seagrass density can be observed in sediment cores. Three sediment cores were obtained from South Bay within the Virginia Coast in June of 2022. These cores were tested for particle size and organic matter percentage. Finer sediments were found in the top 20 cm of sediment cores with an increase in particle size with depth. Organic matter percentage was highest in ...