Report of the special session of "Chesapeake Bay Ecological Forecasting: Moving Ecosystem Modeling from Research to Operation" of the 2010 Chesapeake Modeling Symposium

Moving ecosystem modeling from research to applications and operations has direct management relevance and will be integral to achieving the water quality and living resource goals of the 2010 Chesapeake Bay Executive Order. Yet despite decades of ecosystem modeling efforts of linking climate to water quality, plankton and fish, ecological models are rarely taken to the operational phase. In an effort to promote operational ecosystem modeling and ecological forecasting in Chesapeake Bay, a meeting was convened on this topic at the 2010 Chesapeake Modeling Symposium (May, 10-11). These presentations show that tremendous progress has been made over the last five years toward the development of operational ecological forecasting models, and that efforts in Chesapeake Bay are leading the way nationally. Ecological forecasts predict the impacts of chemical, biological, and physical changes on ecosystems, ecosystem components, and people. They have great potential to educate and inform not only ecosystem management, but also the outlook and opinion of the general public, for whom we manage coastal ecosystems. In the context of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Order, ecological forecasting can be used to identify favorable restoration sites, predict which sites and species will be viable under various climate scenarios, and predict the impact of a restoration project on water quality.

Work plan for analytical support of an integrated ecosystem assessment of the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem, FY11 ‐ FY13

NOAA/NCCOS is conducting the following work for the NOAA California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment, in support of the NOAA/NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center.

Accelerating loss of seagrasses across the globe threatens coastal ecosystems

Coastal ecosystems and the services they provide are adversely affected by a wide variety of human activities. In particular, seagrass meadows are negatively affected by impacts accruing from the billion or more people who live within 50 km of them. Seagrass meadows provide important ecosystem services, including an estimated $1.9 trillion per year in the form of nutrient cycling; an order of magnitude enhancement of coral reef fish productivity; a habitat for thousands of fish, bird, and invertebrate species; and a major food source for endangered dugong, manatee, and green turtle. Although individual impacts from coastal development, degraded water quality, and climate change have been documented, there has been no quantitative global assessment of seagrass loss until now. Our comprehensive global assessment of 215 studies found that seagrasses have been disappearing at a rate of 110 square kilometers per year since 1980 and that 29% of the known areal extent has disappeared since seagrass areas were initially recorded in 1879. Furthermore, rates of decline have accelerated from a median of 0.9% per year before 1940 to 7% per year since 1990. Seagrass loss rates are comparable to those reported for mangroves, coral reefs, and tropical rainforests and place seagrass meadows among the most threatened ecosystems on earth.

Leaf growth of the seagrass Syringodium filiforme in outer Florida Bay, Florida

Leaf growth of the seagrass Syringodium filiforme (Kütz., 1860) was determined using a new technique based on the growth of emergent leaves (EL method) and compared to the more labor intensive repeated measurements (RM) and demographic allometric age reconstruction techniques (DA). All three techniques were used to compare leaf growth dynamics of plants with different morphologies at two sites, a shallow water (0.5 m) banktop and an adjacent deeper water (1.5 m) environment in outer Florida Bay, Florida. Leaf formation rates (Leaf Plastochrone Interval or PI) determined using the EL and RM methods were nearly identical, with means of 20 and 21 d leaf–1 at both sites, significantly faster than the 30 d leaf–1 calculated using the DA method. The EL method produced the highest estimate of leaf growth, 1.8 and 1.9 cm d–1 at the 0.5 m and 1.5 m sites, respectively, followed by the RM method (1.3 and 1.3 cm d–1) and the DA method (1.0 and 1.1 cm d–1). None of the methods detected differences in leaf PI, leaf growth or leaf fragmentation rates between sites. However, leaves at the 1.5 m site typically retained intact leaf tips longer than those at the 0.5 m site, and total leaf lifespan was longer at the 1.5 m site. Based on these results and the amount of field and laboratory work required by each of the methods, the new EL method is the preferred technique for monitoring leaf growth in S. filiforme.

Characterizing Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico: a watershed modeling analysis and monitoring plan

Land-based pollution is commonly identified as a major contributor to the observed deterioration of shallow-water coral reef ecosystem health. Human activity on the coastal landscape often induces nutrient enrichment, hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, toxic contamination and other stressors that have degraded the quality of coastal waters. Coral reef ecosystems throughout Puerto Rico, including Jobos Bay, are under threat from coastal land uses such as urban development, industry and agriculture. The objectives of this report were two-fold: 1. To identify potentially harmful land use activities to the benthic habitats of Jobos Bay, and 2. To describe a monitoring plan for Jobos Bay designed to assess the impacts of conservation practices implemented on the watershed. This characterization is a component of the partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) established by the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) in Jobos Bay. CEAP is a multi-agency effort to quantify the environmental benefits of conservation practices used by private landowners participating in USDA programs. The Jobos Bay watershed, located in southeastern Puerto Rico, was selected as the first tropical CEAP Special Emphasis Watershed (SEW). Both USDA and NOAA use their respective expertise in terrestrial and marine environments to model and monitor Jobos Bay resources. This report documents NOAA activities conducted in the first year of the three-year CEAP effort in Jobos Bay. Chapter 1 provides a brief overview of the project and background information on Jobos Bay and its watershed. Chapter 2 implements NOAA’s Summit to Sea approach to summarize the existing resource conditions on the watershed and in the estuary. Summit to Sea uses a GIS-based procedure that links patterns of land use in coastal watersheds to sediment and pollutant loading predictions at the interface between terrestrial and marine environments. The outcome of Summit to Sea analysis is an inventory of coastal land use and predicted pollution threats, consisting of spatial data and descriptive statistics, which allows for better management of coral reef ecosystems. Chapters 3 and 4 describe the monitoring plan to assess the ecological response to conservation practices established by USDA on the watershed. Jobos Bay is the second largest estuary in Puerto Rico, but has more than three times the shoreline of any other estuarine area on the island. It is a natural harbor protected from offshore wind and waves by a series of mangrove islands and the Punta Pozuelo peninsula. The Jobos Bay marine ecosystem includes 48 km² of mangrove, seagrass, coral reef and other habitat types that span both intertidal and subtidal areas. Mapping of Jobos Bay revealed 10 different benthic habitats of varying prevalence, and a large area of unknown bottom type covering 38% of the entire bay. Of the known benthic habitats, submerged aquatic vegetation, primarily seagrass, is the most common bottom type, covering slightly less than 30% of the bay. Mangroves are the dominant shoreline feature, while coral reefs comprise only 4% of the total benthic habitat. However, coral reefs are some of the most productive habitats found in Jobos Bay, and provide important habitat and nursery grounds for fish and invertebrates of commercial and recreational value.

1987 ecosystem view of management research in the Myakka River: review of Phase I and Phase II reports

This memorandum has four parts. The first is a review and partial synthesis of Phase 1 and Phase 2 Reports by Dr. Ernest Estevez of the Mote Marine Laboratory to the Board of County Commissioners of Sarasota County, Florida. The review and synthesis emphasizes identification of the most important aspects of the structure of the Myakka system in terms of forcing functions, biological components, and major energy flows. In this context, the dominant primary producers, dominant fish species and food habits, and major environmental variables were of articular interest. A major focus of the review and synthesis was on the river zonations provided in the report and based on salinity and various biological indicators. The second part of this memorandum is a review of a draft report by Mote Marine Laboratory on evaluation of potential water quality impacts on the Myakka River from proposed activities in the watershed. This Memorandum's third part is a review of resource-management related ecosystem models in the context of possible future models of the Myakka River Ecosystem. The final part of this memorandum is proposed future work as an extension of the initial reports.

The effects of docks on seagrasses, with particular emphasis on the threatened seagrass, Halophila johnsonii

In March of 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Special Projects Office released "Population Trends along the Coastal United States: 1980-2008." This report includes population changes and trends between 1980 and 2003 and projected changes in coastal populations by 2008. Given the findings, pressure on coastal resources around the country will continue to rise, particularly in Florida. ... One of our most valuable coastal resources is seagrass, but human desire and need to live on the coast means that our habitat overlaps with suitable seagrass habitat. Seagrasses can be found in coastal areas around the world but are limited to relatively shallow, relatively clear water because of their reliance on light for photosynthesis. Seagrasses provide food for both small and large marine organisms, larval and adult stage. They provide shelter and habitat to a variety of commercially important fish and invertebrates. They baffle the water column and inhibit the resuspension of sediments. They prevent erosion and fix and recycle nutrients. The physical and ecological benefits of seagrasses make them very important to human welfare, but their light-limited coastal distribution makes them highly susceptible to anthropogenic influences.

Life history of South African snoek, Thyrsites atun (Pisces: Gempylidae): a pelagic predator of the Benguela ecosystem

Snoek (Thyrsites atun) is a valuable commercial species and an important predator of small pelagic fishes in the Benguela ecosystem. The South African population attains 50% sexual maturity at a fork length of ca.73.0 cm (3 years). Spawning occurs offshore during winter−spring, along the shelf break (150–400 m) of the western Agulhas Bank and the South African west coast. Prevailing currents transport eggs and larvae to a primary nursery ground north of Cape Columbine and to a secondary nursery area to the east of Danger Point; both shallower than 150 m. Juveniles remain on the nursery grounds until maturity, growing to between 33 and 44 cm in the first year (3.25 cm/month). Onshore– offshore distribution (between 5- and 150-m isobaths) of juveniles is deter-mined largely by prey availability and includes a seasonal inshore migration in autumn in response to clupeoid recruitment. Adults are found through-out the distribution range of the species, and although they move offshore to spawn—there is some southward dispersion as the spawning season progresses—longshore movement is apparently random and without a seasonal basis. Relative condition of both sexes declined dramatically with the onset of spawning. Mesenteric fat loss was, however, higher in females, despite a greater rate of prey consumption. Spatial differences in sex ratios and indices of prey consumption suggest that females on the west coast move inshore to feed between spawning events, but that those found farther south along the western Agulhas Bank remain on the spawning ground throughout the spawning season. This regional difference in female behavior is attributed to higher offshore abundance of clupeid prey on the western Agulhas Bank, as determined from both diet and rates of prey consumption.

Terrestrial ecosystem response to interdecadal climate variability in the western United States [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): We argue that the most important climatically-driven terrestrial ecosystem changes are concentrated in annual- to decadal-scale episodic events. These rapid ecosystem responses to climate change are manifested as regionally synchronized disturbance events (eg, floods, fires, and insect outbreaks) and increased drought-caused plant mortality rates.

Suitability of rich-fish culture under mono and polyculture systems in the boro rice ecosystem

An experiment was conducted in farmers’ fields under Paikgacha thana, Khulna to study the suitability of integrated rice-cum-fish culture. Three treatments namely T1 (Puntius gonionotus), T2 (Puntius gonionotus and Cyprinus carpio) and T3 ( Cyprinus carpio) were included for the study each having three replicates. The fish were stocked at a density of 3750/ha in all the rice plots. The physicochemical parameters of water viz., water depth, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, nitrate and phosphate etc. recorded during the study period were found within optimum range. Of the two cultured species C. carpio attained the highest average individual weight (160g) and survival (81.06%). With respect to biomass and income, highest average fish production and net profit per hectare (306.74kg and Tk. 8177.91) were obtained in T2 and the lowest (184.17kg and Tk. 2049.41) obtained in T1 and a significant variation (p<0.05) in fish production was observed among the treatments while for rice production, it was insignificant. The cost benefit ratio of fish production found were 1:1.29, 1:2.14 and 1:1.90 for T1, T2 and T3, respectively.

Performance of paddy-cum-prawn culture in rainfed low land ecosystem of Sunderbans

Performance of both paddy (Var. NC 492) and prawn Penaeus monodon were assessed for two years during wet-season in rainfed lowland ecosystem with a view to study the economic viability of paddy-cum-prawn culture in the coastal saline zone of West Bengal. Both mono and dual culture of paddy and prawn were tried in the study. Fingerlings of prawn (α 35,000 haˉ¹) of 10-15 mm size were reared for about three and half months with and without fish feed. It was observed that addition of fish feed resulted in higher (57.7%) production of prawn (2.65 mg/haˉ¹) but not rice. Such increase in prawn production was 1.6 times higher when no feed was provided and 1.4 times higher when grown as sole crop. However, paddy, whether grown as mono or mixed culture, did not differ in yield significantly. In dual culture, the benefit - cost ratio was higher (6.83) when prawn was grown with feed and it was maximum (36.0) when grown without feed as sole crop. The study, therefore, indicates that paddy-cum-prawn culture under low land ecosystem of the coastal saline zone is enterprising particularly for small and marginal farmers who fear to take risk of growing prawn alone at the cost of paddy.

Report of the Ecosystem Indicators working group meeting, Putrajaya, Malaysia, 19-22 October, 2010

Development of collaborative approach to identify coastal water pollution issues and develop remedial strategies. Establish effective ecosystem indicator framework to measure progress toward sustaining the BOBLME ecosystem health

Status of marine protected areas and fish refugia in the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem

The report reviews the status of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Fish Refugia in the Bay of Bengal. Baseline studies are presented and current and potential linkages between MPAs and fisheries management discussed. Feedback from a a workshop in Penang is also presented.