Speaker: Caitlin Magel, Puget Sound Institute, University of Washington Tacoma

Topic: Eelgrass decline in Coos Bay: causes, consequences, and implications for estuary resilience

Estuarine macrophytes, including seagrasses and macroalgae, contribute to ecosystem functioning as critical habitats and through their tight link with water quality. These primary producers both influence and are influenced by water column nutrients, carbon, and dissolved oxygen. Because estuaries and macrophytes are susceptible to the impacts of environmental change, it is critical to understand the drivers of variability in macrophyte abundance and associated implications for water quality, including potential mitigation of ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH). In this seminar, Dr. Magel will explore the causes and consequences of recent macrophyte declines for estuarine water quality and OAH mitigation potential using a 15-year record of eelgrass (Zostera marina) and ulvoid macroalgae along with a broad suite of environmental conditions in Coos Bay, OR (South Slough). She will also preview ongoing work to develop a complete biophysical model of Coos Bay, including eelgrass, which will be used to further explore the interactions between eelgrass and water quality and identify conditions that either reduce or enhance vulnerability to OAH.