Along the Swedish Skagerrak coast eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a dominant phanerogam on shallow soft bottoms. Eelgrass meadows are important biotopes for many crustacean and fish species being either migratory or stationary. During the 1980s, inventories of the shallow coastal areas with eelgrass have been carried out along the Swedish west coast as a basis for coastal zone management. In the present study we revisited 2000 ha of eelgrass meadows in 5 coastal regions along 200 km of the Skagerrak coast. The inventory was made with the same methods (aquascope) as during the 1980s, but increasing the mapping accuracy by using a Global Positioning System (GPS). The results from this study show that the areal extension of Zostera marina has decreased 58% in 10–15 years with great regional variations. The decline was mainly restricted to the shallow parts of the meadow. The causes and ecological consequences are discussed.
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1 August 2003
Vanishing Seagrass (Zostera marina, L.) in Swedish Coastal Waters
Susanne Baden,
Martin Gullström,
Bengt Lundén,
Leif Pihl,
Rutger Rosenberg
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AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
Vol. 32 • No. 5
August 2003
Vol. 32 • No. 5
August 2003