Richard Zimmerman
By Noell Saunders
An ongoing research study on how seagrass meadows play a key role in healthy coastal ecosystems is now a published article in the widely read scientific journal Ecological Applications.
Seagrasses provide an important source of food and shelter for marine animals, help fight erosion of the sediments that form the sea bed and filter bacterial pathogens from the water.
Richard Zimmerman, one of the lead authors of the publication and a professor in Old Dominion 91短视频's Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said the article puts a strong emphasis on the damaging effects of ocean acidification resulting from high concentrations of carbon dioxide in coastal waters. It also focuses on a model researchers are testing to see if carbon dioxide absorbed by seagrass meadows could raise the pH of ocean water and help buffer short-term effects of acidification.
"Ocean acidification can harm organisms that make limestone shells, including mussels and oysters," Zimmerman said. "The carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean reacts with the seawater to produce carbonic acid, which is corrosive to marine organisms."
Zimmerman said the article, titled "," is available to the public for free and will help other researchers conduct studies to find more viable solutions for saving the world's most vulnerable marine creatures.
"The important element is protecting seagrasses and improving the water quality for oysters, fish and blue crabs," he said.
Other scientists involved in the publication are affiliated with the Carnegie Institution for Science; 91短视频 of California Davis; 91短视频 of California San Diego; California 91短视频 91短视频 Northridge; 91短视频 of Washington; and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
Zimmerman and his team will start a new project next month, funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to explore the ability of seagrass in modifying ocean acidification thresholds for oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
