Sediment characteristics in experimental seagrass meadows in Virginia, 2011

Using a large-scale restoration (>1700 ha) in the Virginia coastal bays as a model system, we evaluated the role of seagrass, Zostera  marina , restoration in carbon storage in sediments of shallow coastal ecosystems. Sediments of replicate seagrass meadows representing different age treatments (as time since seeding: 0, 4, and 10 years), were analyzed for % carbon, % nitrogen, bulk density, organic matter content, and ^210Pb for dating at 1-cm increments to a depth of 10 cm.本研究以弗吉尼亚沿海海湾一处面积超过1700公顷的大型海草修复工程作为模式系统，评估了大叶藻（Zostera marina）修复对浅海海岸生态系统沉积物碳储存的作用。针对不同修复时长处理组（以播种后的时间计：0年、4年和10年）的重复海草床样地沉积物，我们按1厘米间隔对深度达10厘米的样品进行分层分析，检测指标涵盖碳百分含量、氮百分含量、容重、有机质含量，以及用于沉积物定年的^210Pb（铅210）。