Seasonal metabolic rates in restored eelgrass meadows measured with the eddy correlation technique

Seagrass meadows provide numerous ecosystem services such as increasing water quality, providing habitats for organisms, and sequestering organic matter. Traditional measurements of metabolism in seagrass meadows are often difficult to obtain at high temporal resolution and under true in situ conditions. However, the eddy correlation technique overcomes both of these difficulties as well as integrating a measurement over a very large spatial area. Seasonal oxygen fluxes were measured in Zostera marina meadows restored by seeding, and showed a highly dynamic system with light, current and temperature as key environmental controls. As the site has changed from bare to vegetated sediments, oxygen fluxes have increased significantly suggesting restored meadows are locations of high production as well as respiration. Metabolic rates show relationships with shoot density as well as seasonal acclimation to varying light and temperature regimes. This work continues to further assess seasonal and annual metabolic rates at the meadow scale.