Assessment of eutrophication in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor system: use of sav biotic indicators of estuarine condition

Results of a comprehensive investigation of the seagrass demographics in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary during 2008 indicate ongoing degradation of seagrass habitat associated with increasing eutrophic conditions. Surveys of seagrass beds in Barnegat Bay and Little Egg Harbor from spring to fall in 2008 show that the seagrass beds have not yet recovered from the marked reduction of plant biomass (g dry wt m-2), density (shoots m-2), blade length, and percent cover recorded in 2006. Quadrat, core, and hand sampling, as well as digital camera imaging at 120 transect sites in 4 disjunct seagrass beds of the estuary during the June-November period in 2008, as in 2004, 2005, and 2006, reveal distinct changes in demographic patterns that can lead to significant shifts in ecosystem services