Shark-Human Alliance Uncovers World’s Largest Sea Prairie
Cameras mounted on tiger sharks help scientists find a giant seagrass ecosystem in The Bahamas
Dr. Austin Gallagher surveys the Bahamas Bank seagrass meadow with SeaLegacy co-founders Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen.
Photo courtesy of Cristina Mittermeier and SeaLegacy, 2020.
Tiger sharks equipped with cameras and sensors have helped marine scientists identify and measure the largest seagrass ecosystem ever recorded.
The newly-mapped sea prairie in The Bahamas is estimated to stretch up to 92,000 square kilometers (35,500 square miles), equivalent to the size of the US state of Maine, and is likely to be one of the world’s largest marine carbon sinks, according to authors of a research paper published in Nature Communications on Tuesday.