Acoustical methods for remote sensing in seagrass meadows

Abstract

Seagrasses provide a multitude of ecosystem services and act as important carbon sinks. However, seagrass habitats are declining globally, and they are among the most threatened ecosystems on earth. For these reasons, long-term and continuous measurements of seagrass parameters are of primary importance for ecosystem health assessment and sustainable management. After a brief historical overview, this talk will present results from both active and passive acoustical methods for ecosystem monitoring in seagrass meadows. From a propagation perspective, gas bodies contained within the seagrass tissue as well as photosynthetic-driven bubble production results in attenuation and scattering of sound that produces increased transmission loss. For the passive approach, the detachment of gas bubbles from the plants is an important component of the ambient soundscape. Examples of both techniques will be presented based on data collected as part of an 18-month continuous deployment of an acoustical measurement system operating in a moderately dense seagrass bed dominated by Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) in Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. The data show annual trends related to the seasonal growth pattern of Thalassia as well as diurnal trends correlated with photosynthetically active radiation. [Work supported by NSF.]