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Dynamic Simile-Based Unit Model for Predicting the Effects of Changes in Water Quality on the Growth of Thalassia testudinum in Tampa Bay
Citation:
ROGERS, JOHNE E. AND M. J. RUSSELL. Dynamic Simile-Based Unit Model for Predicting the Effects of Changes in Water Quality on the Growth of Thalassia testudinum in Tampa Bay. Presented at Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 20th Biennial Conference: Estuaries and Coasts in a Changing World, PORTLAND, OR, November 01 - 05, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
Our purpose was to design and describe a seagrass growth (SGG) model to predict the growth of T. testudinum within a larger spatially explicit model that examines the effect of changes in land use patterns on nutrients, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and suspended solids (TSS) inputs to Tampa Bay. The SGG model was to consist of four linked sub-models: 1) daily spectral irradiance just below the water surface, 2) irradiance attenuation with depth of water column, 3) algal growth from nutrient enrichment, and 4) seagrass growth. Changes in seagrass biomass were determined from daily increases in carbon fixation by photosynthesis, loss of carbon from respiration and plant mortality. The ultimate objective is to use the model in estimating the value of seagrass in supporting fisheries and predict how land use changes can impact fishery production through changes in seagrass communities.
Description:
Abstract to be presented at the 2009 CERF Conference