Plastics in blue carbon ecosystems: a call for global cooperation on climate change goals

Carbon fixed by vegetated coastal ecosystems (blue carbon) can mitigate anthropogenic CO 2 emissions, though its effectiveness differs with the spatial scale of interest. A literature review compiling carbon sequestration rates within key ecosystems confirms that blue carbon ecosystems are the most efficient natural carbon sinks at the plot scale, though some overlooked biogeochemical processes may lead to overestimation. Moreover, the limited spatial extent of coastal habitats minimizes their potential at the global scale, only buffering 0.42% of the global fossil fuel carbon emissions in 2014. Still, blue carbon plays a role for countries with moderate fossil fuel emissions and extensive coastlines. In 2014, mangroves mitigated greater than 1% of national fossil fuel emissions for countries such as Bangladesh, Colombia and Nigeria. Considering that the Paris Agreement is based on nationally determined contributions, we propose that mangrove blue carbon may contribute to climate change mitigation at this scale in some instances alongside other blue carbon ecosystems.

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Dimensions of Blue Carbon and emerging perspectives

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2018.0781 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 20180781 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Catherine E. Lovelock ◽

Carlos M. Duarte

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Marine Ecosystems ◽

Coastal Ecosystems ◽

Carbon Stocks ◽

Blue Carbon ◽

Tidal Marshes ◽

Gas Emissions ◽

Mitigate Climate Change

Blue Carbon is a term coined in 2009 to draw attention to the degradation of marine and coastal ecosystems and the need to conserve and restore them to mitigate climate change and for the other ecosystem services they provide. Blue Carbon has multiple meanings, which we aim to clarify here, which reflect the original descriptions of the concept including (1) all organic matter captured by marine organisms, and (2) how marine ecosystems could be managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thereby contribute to climate change mitigation and conservation. The multifaceted nature of the Blue Carbon concept has led to unprecedented collaboration across disciplines, where scientists, conservationists and policy makers have interacted intensely to advance shared goals. Some coastal ecosystems (mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass) are established Blue Carbon ecosystems as they often have high carbon stocks, support long-term carbon storage, offer the potential to manage greenhouse gas emissions and support other adaptation policies. Some marine ecosystems do not meet key criteria for inclusion within the Blue Carbon framework (e.g. fish, bivalves and coral reefs). Others have gaps in scientific understanding of carbon stocks or greenhouse gas fluxes, or currently there is limited potential for management or accounting for carbon sequestration (macroalgae and phytoplankton), but may be considered Blue Carbon ecosystems in the future, once these gaps are addressed.

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The economic value of fisheries, blue carbon, and nutrient cycling in global marine forests

10.32942/osf.io/n7kjs ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aaron Matthius Eger ◽

Ezequiel Marzinelli ◽

Rodrigo Baes ◽

Caitlin Blain ◽

Laura Blamey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Nutrient Cycling ◽

Nitrogen Removal ◽

Climate Change Mitigation ◽

Economic Value ◽

Blue Carbon ◽

Kelp Forests ◽

Marine Management ◽

Change Mitigation

Underwater kelp forests have provided valuable ecosystem services for millennia. However, the global economic value of those services is largely unresolved. Kelp forests are also diminishing globally and efforts to manage these valuable resources are hindered without accurate estimates of the services kelp forests provide to society. We present the first global economic estimation of services - fisheries production, nutrient cycling, and carbon removal - provided by four major forest forming kelp genera (Macrocystis, Nereocystis, Ecklonia, and Laminaria). Each of these genera provides between $135,200 and $177,100/ ha/ year. Collectively, they contribute $684 billion/year worldwide. These values are primarily driven by fisheries and nitrogen removal, but kelp forests also have the potential to sequester 2.7 megatons of carbon from the atmosphere/year and may be considered blue carbon systems valuable for climate change mitigation. These findings highlight the value of kelp forests to society and will enable informed marine management decisions.

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Variable Impacts of Climate Change on Blue Carbon

One Earth ◽

10.1016/j.oneear.2020.07.010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 195-211 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Catherine E. Lovelock ◽

Ruth Reef

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Blue Carbon ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

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Restoring tides to reduce methane emissions in impounded wetlands: A new and potent Blue Carbon climate change intervention

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-017-12138-4 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Kevin D. Kroeger ◽

Stephen Crooks ◽

Serena Moseman-Valtierra ◽

Jianwu Tang

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Methane Emissions ◽

Blue Carbon

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Quantification of blue carbon in seagrass ecosystems of Southeast Asia and their potential for climate change mitigation

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146858 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 146858

Author(s):

Milica Stankovic ◽

Rohani Ambo-Rappe ◽

Filipo Carly ◽

Floredel Dangan-Galon ◽

Miguel D. Fortes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

Climate Change Mitigation ◽

Blue Carbon ◽

Seagrass Ecosystems ◽

Change Mitigation

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Co-benefits of protecting mangroves for biodiversity conservation and carbon storage

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-24207-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Md Mizanur Rahman ◽

Martin Zimmer ◽

Imran Ahmed ◽

Daniel Donato ◽

Mamoru Kanzaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Carbon Storage ◽

Climate Change Mitigation ◽

Plant Biomass ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

Blue Carbon ◽

Ecosystem Carbon ◽

Sediment Organic Carbon ◽

Change Mitigation

AbstractThe conservation of ecosystems and their biodiversity has numerous co-benefits, both for local societies and for humankind worldwide. While the co-benefit of climate change mitigation through so called blue carbon storage in coastal ecosystems has raised increasing interest in mangroves, the relevance of multifaceted biodiversity as a driver of carbon storage remains unclear. Sediment salinity, taxonomic diversity, functional diversity and functional distinctiveness together explain 69%, 69%, 27% and 61% of the variation in above- and belowground plant biomass carbon, sediment organic carbon and total ecosystem carbon storage, respectively, in the Sundarbans Reserved Forest. Functional distinctiveness had the strongest explanatory power for carbon storage, indicating that blue carbon in mangroves is driven by the functional composition of diverse tree assemblages. Protecting and restoring mangrove biodiversity with site-specific dominant species and other species of contrasting functional traits would have the co-benefit of maximizing their capacity for climate change mitigation through increased carbon storage.

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