![]() ![]() Though somewhat variable due to local environmental factors, this is equivalent to over ten billion tons of carbon. ![]() Globally, mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses each sequester approximately 10 petagrams of carbon in the surface meter of soil. Though only making up about 0.2 percent of marine ecosystems, they are responsible for close to 50 percent of the carbon sequestered in marine environments. Termed “blue carbon,” VCEs have been shown to exhibit remarkable carbon - sequest er i ng capabilities. Known as v egetated coastal ecosystems (VCEs), they include salt marshes, mangrove forest s and seagrass beds. Though much of the global interest in nature-based carbon sequestration currently rests on terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, there is growing interest in marine and coastal carbon sinks. Around 2 percent of the carbon captured is sequestered in the blades or leaves, while 98 percent is sequestered more stably in below-ground roots and sediments. For seagrasses, blue carbon sequestration functions through the capture and storage of carbon from ocean water. The idea behind nature-based carbon sequestration is to leverage this natural phenomen on, allowing highly productive photosynthetic ecosystems to uptake carbon and sequester it in plant tissues and sediments. Plants naturally uptake carbon, using CO 2 from the atmosphere to photosynthesize. Seagrasses have been identified as major carbon sinks, capable of sequestering large quantities of carbon. Providing essential habitat and nurseries for many marine species, they are crucial for healthy fish populations and for biodiversity more broadly.Īs understanding of seagrass meadow ecology has grown in recent years, yet another ecosystem service has come into focus. ![]() As photosynthesizing primary producers, they are part of the backbone of the marine food web and nutrient cycles. They improve coastal resilience to floods and storms. Their roots stabilize the shoreline and offshore soils while their blades modulate wave action, improving coastline stability by helping to prevent erosion. They improv e water quality and clarity by trapping sediment and acting as a natural water filter. Seagrasses are an excellent example of this concept. They are also the focus of a growing field known as “marine natural capital.” More often referred to as ecosystem services, these are services provided by nature that enhance human well-being. Complex collections of living and non-living features, seagrass meadows are crucial for ocean health as well as for human well-being. F ound along the coasts of nearly all continents, seagrass meadows are part of greater coastal marine ecosystems widely considered to be among the most productive ecosystems in the world. Seagrasses are a type of flowering plant, which evolved from terrestrial plants that re-colonized shallow marine ecosystems over 100 million years ago. ![]()
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