Sewage and agricultural pollution having 'alarming' impact on UK's underwater forests

Sewage and agricultural pollution having 'alarming' impact on UK's underwater forests 4 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSteffan MessengerWales environment correspondentLewis M. JefferiesSeagrass meadows are usually teeming with life, like this shore crabSewage and agricultural pollution in rivers is having an "alarming" knock-on impact on marine life in underwater forests along the British coastline, according to new research.Scientists found seagrass meadows affected by excessive nutrients in the water - caused by sewage, fertilisers, manure and industry wastewater - had far fewer and less variety of small invertebrates like crabs, shrimps and snails."People don't want to swim in seas polluted by sewage," said Dr Benjamin Jones from Project Seagrass, which carried out the research with Swansea University."But this is one of the first studies of its kind to show that some of those nutrient inputs... are having an impact on the animals too."Project SeagrassDr Benjamin Jones described seagrass beds as underwater forestsSeagrasses are flowering plants that live in shallow, sheltered areas of the coast, forming dense underwater meadows.They help fight climate change by absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide and are considered incredibly important habitats.It is estimated that a single hectare can harbour as many as 100 million invertebrates."If we think of seagrass meadows as forests, those invertebrates are basically insects that help it function in the marine environment," explained Jones.Lewis M. JefferiesThe study examined seagrass meadows in 16 different marine environments, including estuaries, lagoons and islandsThe researchers examined 16 different sites along the British coast which were affected to varying degrees by eutrophication - the enrichment of water by nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.Sewage discharges, runoff of fertilisers and manures from farms and wastewater from indust...