#surfgrass

Surfgrass (Phyllospadix torreyi) which is NOT a seaweed! Learned about this one in seaweed class

#tidepools #kelpforest #surfgrass #kelpies #breathedeep #openyoureyes #naturelovers #connecttonature #earthexperience #walkingmeditation #onewithnature #earthconnection (at Malibu, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLU8fNRBqil/?igshid=dtyljndbcauz

6 of 6 | For your next cocktail party: Herb: Surf Grass Latin name: Phyllospadix scouleri Family: Zosteraceae (Eel-Grass Family) Seagrass is a “keystone” species. It serves as a nursery ground for young fish and crabs, provides protection from storm surges, reduces the impacts of ocean acidification and helps regulate water quality. 

According to a study in Nature Geoscience, seagrass meadows store as much as twice the carbon as the worlds forests per unit area. The coastal seagrass beds can store as much as 83,000 tons of carbon per square kilometer, while forests are around 30,000. The meadows are not particularly common in the oceans but still are responsible to 10 per cent of all carbon sequestered in the ocean annually. Edible parts of Surf Grass: The entire plant, including the long salty-tasting leaves, were formed into square cakes and dried as a winter food by some native North American Indian tribes. The leaves were occasionally cooked and eaten by some native North American Indian tribes. Sea grass was used by Native American tribes along the Southern California Coast to make cordage and other woven objects, including specimens from San Miguel Island dated between about 10,000 and 8,600 years ago (see Connolly, Erlandson, and Norris 1992). #iNaturalist #seagrass #breathe #surfgrass #Phyllospadixscouleri #Pscouleri #surfgrass #marinebiology #seagrassmeadows #searanch #sonomacoast #sonomacounty #norcal #lifeopensup #climatechange #underwatermeadow #savethesea #pacificocean #hostagram #cocktailconversations #keystonespecies (at Sea Ranch - Sonoma Coast) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdfP0xg9sG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=m4cg1d9l4qj4

5 of 6 | Fishing in among the rocks was not as successful as usual. Only one small perch. But happy too see two sea stars nestled among the seagrass ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #iNaturalist #seagrass #breathe #surfgrass #Phyllospadixscouleri #Pscouleri #surfgrass #marinebiology #seagrassmeadows #searanch #sonomacoast #sonomacounty #norcal #lifeopensup #climatechange #underwatermeadow #savethesea #pacificocean #hostagram #urchin #purpleurchin #urchinbarrens #abalone #redabalone #seastar #savetheocean (at Sea Ranch - Sonoma Coast) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxdb741ANso/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1nthbqjkco0oy

4 of 6 | Kelp serves with each successive wave as the metronome to the tides marking the health of the tidal zone where urchins have laid it bare ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #iNaturalist #seagrass #breathe #surfgrass #Phyllospadixscouleri #Pscouleri #surfgrass #marinebiology #seagrassmeadows #searanch #sonomacoast #sonomacounty #norcal #lifeopensup #climatechange #underwatermeadow #savethesea #pacificocean #hostagram #urchin #purpleurchin #urchinbarrens #abalone #redabalone (at Sea Ranch - Sonoma Coast) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdbV-RAtDI/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lfylzf60a2a2

3 of 6 | Mermaid’s hair sparkles in the sun #iNaturalist #seagrass #breathe #surfgrass #mermaidshair #sparkle #Phyllospadixscouleri #Pscouleri #surfgrass #marinebiology #seagrassmeadows #searanch #sonomacoast #sonomacounty #norcal #lifeopensup #climatechange #underwatermeadow #savethesea #pacificocean #hostagram (at Sea Ranch - Sonoma Coast) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdalEVA7Hi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1j4kxei2bj9c1

2 of 6 | Emerald green Phyllospadix scouleri has flat leaves that can grow up to three feet long and short flower stalks.
 Seagrass meadows, found in shallow waters on the coast, are known for being one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. They provide critical nursery grounds for fishes, filter water, stabilize shorelines, and absorb an outsize amount of carbon, potentially reducing ocean acidification. Yet seagrass has been hard hit by coastal pollution and development. California Sea Grant has been supporting research on whether Californians can benefit From Seagrass in the Spotlight, California Sea Grant: https://caseagrant.ucsd.edu/news/seagrass-in-the-spotlight ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 
 #iNaturalist #seagrass #breathe #surfgrass #Phyllospadixscouleri #Pscouleri #surfgrass #marinebiology #seagrassmeadows #searanch #sonomacoast #sonomacounty #norcal #lifeopensup #climatechange #underwatermeadow #savethesea #pacificocean #hostagram (at Sea Ranch - Sonoma Coast) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdZ8f5gvgP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=x3h7a9ha36l3

1 of 6 | Seagrass also know as “the lungs of the sea” because it breaths oxygen into the water through the process of photosynthesis. 
 #iNaturalist #seagrass #breathe #surfgrass #Phyllospadixscouleri #Pscouleri #surfgrass #marinebiology #seagrassmeadows #searanch #sonomacoast #sonomacounty #norcal #lifeopensup #climatechange #underwatermeadow #savethesea #hostagram #pacificocean (at Sea Ranch - Sonoma Coast) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdYfnMAwgl/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=160ratd6dknv8