Results from the Tub Assay:

The number of eelgrass seedlings dropped rapidly at sites with high energy (tidal currents or waves) due to scouring of the sand in the tubs. At sites with low energy (shallow seagrass sites) tubs were less susceptible to scour and the seedlings were able to grow, as indicated by increasing leaf length measurements. Further investigations are planned to measure the Relative Energy Index (REI) using the WEMO model developed at NOAA Beaufort Laboratory; as well as independent confirmation of WEMO results using clod-card dissolution rates at a subset of sites in Spring 2004