The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership (APNEP) has published a report showing a net loss in the extent of high-salinity submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) habitat in North Carolina’s sounds between 2006 and 2020. This report updates findings of a previous report released in 2021 by including data from a third survey completed by APNEP and partners in 2019-2020. Also known as seagrass or underwater grasses, this valuable natural resource improves water quality, decreases shoreline erosion, and is an essential habitat for many fishery and wildlife species.
While the data also confirm that the state continues to possess the largest acreage of seagrass along the east coast of the United States, around 88,531 acres, the overall extent of seagrass meadows in the Albemarle-Pamlico estuary decreased by at least 16,129 acres or 16.2% between 2006 and 2020 despite the availability of suitable habitat for expansion of the resource. Seagrass is declining worldwide; North Carolina is experiencing annual rates of seagrass loss at or below the global average.
The observed decline in seagrass was not evenly distributed – within the central portion of the study area, which includes the area from Hatteras Inlet to Barden Inlet near Cape Lookout, seagrass acreage decreased by 2.0% per year compared to a decline of 0.8% and 1.4% per year in the northern and southern portions of the study area, respectively. It is noteworthy that recurring extreme weather events impacted North Carolina over the period during which these three surveys were conducted, including 10 tropical cyclones that directly impacted the Albemarle-Pamlico estuary, physically disturbing meadows, water quality conditions, and the stability of the barrier island inlets and flood deltas.
Because seagrass is very sensitive to water quality, including nutrient and sediment pollution, a continued decline in the acreage of these underwater meadows indicates that the overall health of North Carolina’s estuaries may also be worsening. Further mapping of seagrass extent is essential to clarify the current status and long-term trends of this resource in North Carolina. Additionally, integration of seagrass mapping with other collaborative environmental monitoring programs is critical to identifying and managing the causes of seagrass decline.
The data analyzed for this report were collected using three aerial surveys from 2006-2007, 2013, and 2019-2020. Based on the experience gained during these three surveys and our better understanding of the ecology of the seagrass ecosystem in North Carolina, APNEP and partners have intensified and expanded seagrass monitoring efforts, completing new subregional surveys of the Albemarle-Pamlico estuary in 2021-2025. Analysis of these additional survey data are underway and will enable APNEP to provide a more complete picture of seagrass status and trends in the Albemarle-Pamlico estuary.
These findings provide guidance for the development of protection and restoration strategies for the region’s underwater grasses, including conservation and management actions supported by the N.C. Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.
The report is available below. For more information, check out APNEP’s SAV Monitoring webpage, or contact Dr. Tim Ellis, APNEP’s Quantitative Ecologist, at (919)707-8106 or tim.ellis@apnep.org.
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