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Seagrasses Define Lagoon Ecology: <br /> The lagoon is described as a seagrass- <br /> based ecosystem because seagrass Seagrass Assessment <br /> provides the most food and habitat 1986-1989 <br /> �o for the lagoon's aquatic animals. <br /> Seagrass health is used as the primary <br /> indicator of the overall health of the <br /> lagoon because seagrass growth <br /> requires both high water quality and kwwum8 <br /> clarity. <br /> E%CE14E�T <br /> Most of the lagoon is less than 6 feet <br /> Vero Beach <br /> deep—an ideal environment for sea <br /> grasses; but by the 1980s, less than <br /> half the lagoon had adequate levels <br /> of seagrass coverage. <br /> Decline of Seagrasses in the Lagoon: <br /> What explains this historic decline?Land use changes. <br /> From the 1920s onward, <br /> s° <br /> Mi wetlands were drained to 19205 1940s 1970s 19905 <br /> support agriculture and <br /> development. <br /> In lagoon counties, canal <br /> systems converted wetlands <br /> by diverting water to the <br /> lagoon. <br /> During the 1980s, 4S waste ` t <br /> water treatment plants <br /> discharged over 39 m d to <br /> g g <br /> lagoon. Development <br /> Agriculture <br /> ® Natural <br /> As impervious surfaces 0 Water <br /> increased, progressively other <br /> more stormwater ran off <br /> into the lagoon. <br /> 1 • A• 3 <br />