Warming waters in Great Bay may be contributing to die-off of eelgrass, a cornerstone species in New Hampshire’s huge tidal basin. New Hampshire Bulletin, a new statewide news organization, has a story about pilot projects to try replanting eelgrass to get the population back.
Eelgrass stores four times as much carbon as a forest on land, which has led to enthusiasm about the plant’s ability to help combat climate change. The plant also photosynthesizes under water and creates oxygen. When it’s healthy, it grows in lush meadows – and that’s what the researchers are hoping to see return to Great Bay.