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(Zostera Marina) Bay-Wide Habitat Mapping Survey: Status and Distribution Between 2006 and 2008 and Oceanographic Conditions in Newport Bay Between 2008 and 2009

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(Zostera Marina) Bay-Wide Habitat Mapping Survey: Status and Distribution Between 2006 and 2008 and Oceanographic Conditions in Newport Bay Between 2008 and 2009 RESULTS OF THE SECOND NEWPORT BAY EELGRASS (ZOSTERA MARINA) BAY-WIDE HABITAT MAPPING SURVEY: STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN 2006 AND 2008 AND OCEANOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS IN NEWPORT BAY BETWEEN 2008 AND 2009 Prepared for: City of Newport Beach Harbor Resources Division PO Box 1768 Newport Beach, CA 92658-8915 Contact: Chris Miller, HRD Manager (949) 644-3041 Prepared by: Coastal Resources Management, Inc. PMB 327, 3334 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, CA 92625 Contact: Rick Ware, Senior Marine Biologist [email protected] (949) 412-9446 August 18th, 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Project Purpose ............................................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Project Setting............................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Eelgrass Regulatory Setting ......................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Physical and Chemical Factors Affecting Eelgrass Abundance and Distribution..................... 6 1.6 Eelgrass Biology and Ecology ..................................................................................................... 11 2.0 SURVEY AND DATA ANALYSIS METHODS................................................................... 18 2.1 Project Staff................................................................................................................................... 18 2.2 Project Location............................................................................................................................ 18 2.3 Survey Dates ................................................................................................................................. 18 2.4 Survey Methods ............................................................................................................................ 22 2.5 Data Processing ............................................................................................................................ 30 3.0 OCEANOGRAPHIC SURVEY RESULTS ........................................................................... 33 3.1 Oceanographic Data ..................................................................................................................... 33 3.2 Sediment Grain Size..................................................................................................................... 51 3.3 Summary of Oceanographic and Grain Size Survey Results ..................................................... 54 4.0 EELGRASS HABITAT MAPPING SURVEY RESULTS.................................................. 59 4.1 Diver Survey Underwater Visibility Measurements During Eelgrass Surveys......................... 59 4.2 Eelgrass Distribution and Abundance ......................................................................................... 60 4.3 Eelgrass Distribution By Region ................................................................................................. 72 4.4 Eelgrass Habitat Analysis Based Upon Standard Shoreline Lengths ........................................ 85 4.5 Eelgrass Turion Density ............................................................................................................... 86 4.6 Eelgrass Blade Length and Width Analysis................................................................................ 90 4.7 Marine Organisms Observed During the Surveys ...................................................................... 92 4.8 Eelgrass Habitat Study Summary and Conclusions.................................................................... 97 5.0 LITERATURE CITED.............................................................................................................. 106 Newport Bay Eelgrass and Oceanographic Studies 2006-2009 i City of Newport Beach Harbor Resources Division Coastal Resources Management, Inc. LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Description of Water and Sediment Quality Sampling Stations Shoreline Lengths .............. 21 2 Mean Values for Oceanographic Parameters. July 2008-May 2009 ...................................... 34 3 Light Irradiance Ratios in Newport Bay Based On Photosynthetic Photon Flux (PPF) Values. July 2008-May 2009. All Stations and All Surveys Combined ............................... 43 4 Temperature Minima and Maxima. July 2008-May 2009 ......................................................... 46 5 Summary of HOBO Pendant Logger Light Intensity Data, July 2008-May 2009 ..................... 48 6 Results of 2006-2008 Eelgrass Habitat Mapping Surveys, Shallow and Deep Water Habitat ............................................................................................................................................ 61 7 Results of 2003-2004 Eelgrass Habitat Mapping Surveys, Shallow Water Habitat Only ......... 62 8 Summary of Distribution and Acreage in 2006-2008 and Comparison of Habitat Acreage to 2003-2004 ................................................................................................................... 72 9 Assessment of Change Based Upon Standard Shoreline Lengths From Most Abundant to Least Abundant Eelgrass Areas in 2006-2008 ......................................................................... 86 10 Eelgrass Blade Length and Width Data. August 2008 ............................................................... 91 11 Taxonomic Composition of Plants and Animals Observed During Eelgrass Habitat Mapping Surveys, 2003-2008 ....................................................................................................... 93 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Regional Setting............................................................................................................................ 4 2 Tidal Flushing Rates in Newport Bay ......................................................................................... 8 3 Location and Boundaries of Eelgrass Habitat Surveys............................................................... 19 4 Water Quality and Sediment Sampling Locations .................................................................. .. 20 5 Eelgrass Survey Regions.............................................................................................................. 32 6a Rainfall and Air Temperature, 2003-2009 ................................................................................. 33 6b Sea Surface Temperatures and Salinity, 2003-2009................................................................... 33 7 Mean Water Temperatures in Newport Bay ............................................................................. .. 35 8 Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations in Newport Bay ................................................................... 37 9 Mean pH Concentrations in Newport Bay ................................................................................. 38 10 Mean Salinity in Newport Bay .................................................................................................... 39 11 Mean Water Transparency in Newport Bay.............................................................................. .. 40 12a Light Energy in Newport Bay Eelgrass Beds.............................................................................. 41 12b Light Energy in Unvegetated Areas of Newport Bay ................................................................ 41 12c Light Energy in Newport Bay, All Areas.................................................................................... 41 13 Mean Light Energy Values, Expressed as Photosynthetic Photon Flux (PPF) ....................... .. 43 14a Mean Bottom Water-to-In Air ”Reference: PPF (Light Irradiance) Ratios.............................. 44 14b Mean Bottom Water-to-Surface Water PPF (Light Irradiance) Ratios ..................................... 44 15 Mean Water Temperature (Surface and Bottom Water), HOBO Pendant Data Loggers......... 46 16 Surface and Bottom Water Temperature Differentials, HOBO Pendant Data Loggers.......... .. 47 17 Mean Light Intensity (Surface and Bottom Waters) HOBO Pendant Data Loggers ................ 49 18 Mean Light Intensity 1 ft Below the Surface, HOBO Pendant Data Loggers........................... 49 19 Mean Light Intensity 2 ft Above the Bottom, HOBO Pendant Data Loggers........................... 49 20a Ratio of Bottom-to-In Air “Reference” Values, HOBO Pendant Data Loggers ..................... 50 Newport Bay Eelgrass and Oceanographic Studies 2006-2009 ii City of Newport Beach Harbor Resources Division Coastal Resources Management, Inc. 20b Ratio of Bottom-to-Surface Water Light Intensity, HOBO Pendant Data Loggers ................ 50 21a Comparison of Newport Bay Sediment Characteristics. Percent Gravel, Sand, and Silt/Clay ....................................................................................................................................... 52 21b Median Sediment Particle Size in Newport Bay Sediments...................................................... 52 22 Two-Way Hierarchical Clustering of Sediment Types Based on Sediment Particle Size........ 53 23 Two-Way Hierarchical Clustering of Newport
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