0000000000253954
AUTHOR
Mazzola Antonio
Estimation of the volume of Posidonia oceanica detritus accumulations along Sicilian coasts by using very high resolution images
Posidonia oceanica meadows are among the most important marine coastal ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea due to several roles they are able to play. They, in fact, support high levels of primary production, enhance sedimentation of suspended particles through their canopies, prevent resuspension of marine sediments by means of roots and rhizomes and counteract coast erosion. Part of the primary production of this seagrass is not transferred to herbivores either immediately to detritus pathway but it can accumulate on the shore in form of banquette, typical structures exerting a significant role in protection of beaches from erosion. To accurately measure the extension, morphology, volume …
Quali-quantitative assessment of Posidonia oceanica detritus accumulations in pocket-beaches with different productivity levels of nearshore seagrass meadows
Posidonia oceanica detritus accumulates in late summer-autumn along the coasts forming beach-cast seagrass wracks known as banquette. Although seagrass wracks are highly variable at both spatial and temporal scales, they have an important ecological role as they protect the coast from erosion, support beach biodiversity and trophic webs and supply nutrients to dune vegetation. Previous studies have focused mainly on the beach-cast morphological characterization and variability, as well as on associated biotic communities. However, few studies have focused on the quali-quantitative assessment of seagrass wracks. The aim of this study was to assess the spatial variability of the P.oceanica be…
The use of very high-resolution images for mapping of Posidonia oceanica reef
Posidonia oceanica is an endemic Mediterranean seagrass that forms wide and dense meadows from the surface up to about 40 m depth. P. oceanica can develop on matte, a typical terraced structure built up by itself, consisting of intertwined rhizomes, roots and sediment, which may allow shoots to reach the sea surface, where may form typical reefs (récif barrière) considered “natural monuments”. These structures have received increasing attention for the potential ecosystem services they provide in protecting the coasts from erosion, forming new habitats (coastal lagoons) and contributing to carbon sink. P. oceanica reefs are particularly exposed to the expected increase in temperature and to…
The use of very high resolution images for the estimation of Posidonia oceanica beach-cast morphology
Posidonia oceanica is an endemic Mediterranean seagrass that forms wide and dense meadows from the surface to depths of about 40 m. During fall and winter, due to aging and storms, leaves and rhizomes break away from the seagrass meadows and accumulate on the shores (from a few centimeters in the water to several meters inshore) forming conspicuous beach-casts of P. oceanica detritus. These structures have received increasing attention in the last decade for the potential ecosystem services they provide in protecting the coast from erosion, linking marine and terrestrial food chains and contributing to carbon and nutrients fluxes. However, seagrass beach-cast morphology is not easy to estim…