419983

Temporal Change of Seagrass Meadows: Estimating Species Composition, Coverage and Carbon Stock Trends Over 16 Years in NIOF Studied Area, Hurghada, Egypt

Article

Last updated: 09 Apr 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

-

Abstract

        Seagrass ecosystems are essential coastal habitats, providing refuge for marine biodiversity and acting as significant carbon sinks. This study examined the temporal dynamics of seagrass coverage, species composition, and carbon stock at the NIOF station in Hurghada, Egypt, from 2007 to 2023, integrating field surveys with remote sensing. Field assessments quantified shoot density, biomass, and carbon stock per ground area (CAGA) with historical records data contextualized observed trends in species composition. Five seagrass species were identified, including the dominant Halophila stipulacea, Halophila ovalis, Halodule uninervis, Thalassodendron ciliatum, and the newly recorded Thalassia hemprichii. H. uninervis exhibited the highest shoot density (808 shoots/m²) and carbon stock (CAGA: 129.12g/ m²), underscoring its pivotal role in carbon sequestration. Seagrass coverage declined from 160.91 ha (59.8%) in 2007 to 115.16 ha (42.8%) in 2014, marking a 28.43% reduction. However, subsequent recovery was evident, reaching 171.13 ha (63.6%) in 2019 and 175.97 ha (65.4%) in 2023, indicative of successful conservation or improving environmental conditions. Concurrently, carbon stock increased from 203.57 to 222.63 tons. These findings emphasize the ecological significance of seagrass meadows in climate change mitigation and advocate for strategic conservation, restoration, and policy interventions to enhance ecosystem resilience, biodiversity, and long-term carbon sequestration.

DOI

10.21608/ejabf.2025.419983

Keywords

Seagrasses, Predictive temporal change, composition, Coverage, Carbon stock trends

Authors

First Name

Basma

Last Name

Essa

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

-

Email

basmaessa075@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

0000-0003-4442-59

First Name

Yasser

Last Name

Geneid

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

-

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

29

Article Issue

2

Related Issue

54176

Issue Date

2025-03-01

Receive Date

2025-03-30

Publish Date

2025-03-01

Page Start

1,361

Page End

1,381

Print ISSN

1110-6131

Online ISSN

2536-9814

Link

https://ejabf.journals.ekb.eg/article_419983.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=419983

Order

97

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries

Publication Link

https://ejabf.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Temporal Change of Seagrass Meadows: Estimating Species Composition, Coverage and Carbon Stock Trends Over 16 Years in NIOF Studied Area, Hurghada, Egypt

Details

Type

Article

Created At

09 Apr 2025