Effort launched to validate Newport Bay tool that predicts where seagrass restoration likely to be effective

SCCWRP and its partners have begun working to validate a newly developed computer modeling tool that predicts how algal blooms and turbidity in Newport Bay in Orange County can be expected to limit the potential for seagrass restoration at sites across the estuary.

The model validation phase, which began last fall, involves comparing modeling predictions about nutrients, algal blooms and light attenuation conditions in Newport Bay to field-collected measurements.

Significant investments have been made in recent years to restore seagrass beds in coastal estuaries like Newport Bay; eelgrass beds are in decline as a result of pollution and other stresses.

The modeling team, which includes SCCWRP and the University of Toulouse in France, envisions the tool as a prototype that could be expanded to guide seagrass restoration efforts in coastal estuaries across the State.