A report released Thursday April 18 indicates that underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers have diminished by 44 percent over the course of the last three years. The reduction has negative implications for the habitat of fish and crabs in the Chesapeake Bay region.
According to the scientists, much of the reduction is the result of severe weather and storms, including Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Irene. The storms caused a massive influx of debris and mud into the Chesapeake Bay, resulting in sunlight blockage that prevented growth. The scientists also cite an unexplained drop-off in water clarity as a factor in the decline.
"It has been a rough few years for bay grasses, and we were not terribly surprised," Virginia Institute of Marine Science researcher Bob Orth said.
The results were reported by the Chesapeake Bay Program. The program is a federal and state collaboration to implement efforts at bay restoration in six nearby states, including Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York and the District of Columbia.
The importance of the Chesapeake Bay grasses lies in their provision of food and habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife. They are also effective in absorbing pollutants that can lead to algae blooms. Such blooms have recently been suspected as the cause for recent record manatee deaths off the coast of Florida, as well as the waters of Lake Erie turning green.
Global warming may also be playing a role in the Chesapeake Bay sea-grass loss, especially considering an unusually hot summer in 2010.
Despite the reduction, the researchers claim that the Chesapeake Bay is still resilient, and hope that the results will emphasize the importance of restoration efforts.
"If there's no major event, I would expect that there might be some recovery in some parts of the bay," Orth said.
But Orth is reluctant to place an exact prediction on what will happen with the Chesapeake Bay in the near future.
"This year is going to be highly dependent on our summertime temperatures," he said.
