Effectiveness of Moorings Constructed from Rope in Reducing Impacts to Seagrass

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The manuscript examined the impact that rope moorings may have on seagrass by quantifying seagrass density in the area surrounding these moorings over a range of different environmental conditions. They found the effectiveness of moorings constructed from rope in reducing impacts to seagrass. This provide important scientific base for seagrass conservation and management using efficient and enonomic manner. The design was good, and the results and discussion were reasonable. The manuscript was suitable for publishing in the journal.

There were several small problems need to be revised.

(1) Abstract: please revise and add key quantitative results.

(2) Line 44，error expression for 122 m2.

(3) please add a new graphic abstract to summarize the key finding of the manuscript.

(4) If provide more seagrass investigation results or other parameters, it would be better.

(5) Hopefully, please put forword some future study on the change of macrobenthic organisms or carbon sequestration, etc. It would be an interesting topic in the future study to further confirm the important role.

Author Response

Thank you for the positive comments about our manuscript.

We have now:

added results and statistics to the abstract

provided a potential graphical abstract

Unfortunately, we don't have further results to add as suggested and we haven't felt it appropriate to speculate on further research.

 

We have corrected small errors and improved language throughout.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

In this research, the authors investigated on “Effectiveness of moorings constructed from rope in reducing impacts to seagrass”. At this regard, they carried out the experiments at three locations, across a range on environmental condition to provide evidence of the problem.

Finally, they propose a readymade, low technology, low cost solution already in existence for halting the widespread loss of seagrass from small boat mooring damage and allowing recovery and restoration.

 The research treats an important theme included in the problem of Seagrass environmental impacts and their importance for renewable energy (CO2 capturing by seagrass and marine wave renewable energy).

The manuscript fits with the aims of the OCEANS and can be published.

The title and the abstract are exact, concise and informative.

The English is good, and the work is well clearly presented

Furthermore, in order to increase the importance of seagrass in the renewable energy field, and the relative impacts, I suggest to the authors to add one reference in the introduction, to better explain the research context to be more informative:

Page 2 Line 47.  Please add the sentence:

“Given the large-scale loss of seagrass globally [6] the current high levels of threat to these ecosystems [7] and their value in supporting carbon storage and many coastal livelihoods [8], with the prospective to explore sea wave energy for renewable energy production (add [9]-Borfecchia et al, 2016), it’s crucial we provide solutions to such damage.

[9] Borfecchia, F.; Micheli, C.; Belmonte, A.; De Cecco, L.; Sannino, G.; Bracco, G.; Mattiazzo, G.; Struglia, M.V. Impact of ISWEC sea wave energy converter on Posidonia oceanica meadows assessed by satellite remote sensing in the coastal areas of Pantelleria island. Geophys. Res. Abstract 2016, 18, EGU2016-16787. In: Proceedings of the EGU General Assembly 2016, Vienna Austria, 17-22 April 2016; 2016EGUGA.1816787B. https://www.geophysical-research-abstracts.net/ 

Moreover, some References of the manuscript, are wrong regarding the style of the Journal “OCEANS”.

Please, in the listed references you have to put the abbreviation of the Journal, that you have cited:

In the reference [2]Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences change as:

Proc. Royal Soc. B.

In the reference [3]Journal of Marine Science and Engineering change as: J. Mar.Sci

In the reference [4], please control the Style.

In the reference [5]Frontier in Marine Science change as: Front. Mar. Sci.

In the reference [6] Global Change Biology change as: Glob. Chang Biol.

In the reference [7] Proceedings of the national academy of science. Please change as: PNAS

[9] Add a new reference: Borfecchia et al, 2016

 

In the reference [ex 9] Please, change in “italics” Zostera marina (it is a species)  and, please,

- Ocean & Coastal Management change as Ocean Coast. Manag.

In the reference [ex 11] Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, change as:

Aquat. Conserv.: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst.

In the reference [ex 18] please, change the capital at the title of the manuscript.

In the reference [ex 19] Please, delete one “doi” and put the abbreviation at: Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, please change as: J. Geotech. Eng.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Thankyou for your advise and input into our manuscript.

We have significantly improved the English throughout the manuscript and attended to the comments provided by the reviewer, however we have chosen not to include the reference Borfecchia et al as we felt it didn't really fit with our paper.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

This a wel-presented work on the effect of chain vs rope boat mooring on seagrass meadows in different places around the world. It is well written, and apart from the following queries (which do not necessarily be answered), I do not have further observations

1. The effect of prevailing wind direction.  I suppose that scouring (of chains or ropes) may have been more severe in certain areas around the mooring in accordance with a prevailing (severe) wind direction.  However, data on wind are not presented; thus this can´t be verified.  This does not affect the main conclusion of the work though 

2. Maybe a sentence can be added that anchors are also used for placing booms of barriers which serve to delimit swimming areas, or, in the case of the Caribbean Sea, are used to protect certain beaches from sargassum inundation.  Using ropes instead of chains for anchoring to reduce damage to the seagrasses may also apply for these barriers

Author Response

Thankyou for your very supportive comments on our manuscript. We have spent considerable effort improving the general structure of the paper including the use of english and the clear messaging. 

The specific comments outlined below on the Caribbean and the wind direction we have chosen not to include as felt they dont add anything concrete to the paper. 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The authors has revised the manuscript according to the reviewers' comments. It could be accepted at the present form. 

Reviewer 2 Report

The manuscript has been improved to warrant publication in  Oceans.

Best regards