Carbon Storage in Seagrass Beds of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Campbell, Justin E.; Lacey, Elizabeth Anne; Decker, Rachel A.; Crooks, Stephen; Fourqurean, James W.

doi:10.1007/s12237-014-9802-9

Cited by 88 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The comparison of C org storage capacity and accumulation rates by P. australis and P. oceanica meadows provide new insights into the significant differences in C org storage potential among Posidonia seagrasses (P < 0.001 for both C org storage and accumulation rates). The C org storage in P. oceanica and P. australis meadows is exceptional compared to other seagrass species (ranging from 0.6 to 12 kg C org m −2 in 1 m-thick deposits; Lavery et al, 2013;Campbell et al, 2015;Miyajima et al, 2015), and the presence of an exposed mat escarpment provides an early indication of rich C org deposits beneath the surrounding meadows. Although, in this study we only surveyed directly mat escarpments (i.e., by horizontal coring) in Malta and Balearic Islands, we assumed that the C org contents measured in the mats near the escarpments (i.e., by vertical coring) are representative of the C org content in meadows close to the upper limit of seagrass distribution where escarpments can be found.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Location and Associated Carbon Storage of Erosional Escarpments of Seagrass Posidonia Mats

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Seagrasses of the genus Posidonia can form an irregular seascape due to erosional processes exposing thick walls of organic matter-rich soils. However, little is known about the location and characteristics of these particular formations. Here we provide comprehensive estimates of organic carbon (C org ) storage in Posidonia oceanica and Posidonia australis meadows, while providing insight into their location and mechanisms of formation, and highlighting future research directions. Erosional reef escarpments are restricted to shallow highly productive P. oceanica meadows from the Mediterranean Sea and P. australis meadows from the Indian Ocean, and sustain the existence of C org -rich deposits in surrounding meadows. The thickness of the mat escarpments can reach up to 3 m and their length can vary from few to hundreds of meters. Mechanisms of formation appear to differ among sites, from naturally-induced escarpments by wave action and/or tidal flow to human-induced escarpments by dredging activities. The inter-twined remains of seagrass shoots within the sediment matrix consolidate the sandy substrate and hold the exposed Posidonia mat escarpments together, maintaining a semi-rigid structure. This phenomenon is unusual but of exceptional importance in marine biogeochemical cycles, revealing the largest C org sinks among seagrasses worldwide (ranging from 15 to 176 kg C org m −2 in 2 m-thick mats accumulated at 2-249 g C org m −2 yr −1 over 300-3000 yr).

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Location and Associated Carbon Storage of Erosional Escarpments of Seagrass Posidonia Mats

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Unfortunately, due to the lack of sufficient data on mass sediment accumulation of mangrove and seagrass soils in Indonesia, it is not possible to derive an annual carbon burial rate. 129.9 ± 9.6 (n = 32) a An average sediment dry bulk density (g ml -1 ) of 0.92 was used for terrigenous deposits ) and 1.39 for carbonates (Campbell et al 2015) b Estimated using a median surface soil C org value of 0.595 % (by sediment dry weight) for these deposits (Booij et al 2001;Pratono et al 2009) c Soil depth only to 50 cm d Range of increasing soil dry bulk densities (g ml -1 ) with soil depth (Alongi, unpublished data) Wetlands Ecol Manage Such data is urgently needed. Sequestration rates can be derived for plant biomass (assuming such stocks are not burned or clear-felled), but these are wholly inadequate because soils account for 82 and 99 % of the total carbon reserves for the archipelago's mangroves and seagrasses, respectively (Tables 1, 2).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indonesia’s blue carbon: a globally significant and vulnerable sink for seagrass and mangrove carbon

Alongi

Murdiyarso

Fourqurean

et al. 2015

Wetlands Ecol Manage

Self Cite

180

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The global significance of carbon storage in Indonesia's coastal wetlands was assessed based on published and unpublished measurements of the organic carbon content of living seagrass and mangrove biomass and soil pools. For seagrasses, median above-and below-ground biomass was 0.29 and 1.13 Mg C ha -1 respectively; the median soil pool was 118.1 Mg C ha -1 . Combining plant biomass and soil, median carbon storage in an Indonesian seagrass meadow is 119.5 Mg C ha -1 . Extrapolated to the estimated total seagrass area of 30,000 km 2 , the national storage value is 368.5 Tg C. For mangroves, median above-and below-ground biomass was 159.1 and 16.7 Mg C ha -1 , respectively; the median soil pool was 774.7 Mg C ha -1 . The median carbon storage in an Indonesian mangrove forest is 950.5 Mg C ha -1 . Extrapolated to the total estimated mangrove area of 31,894 km 2 , the national storage value is 3.0 Pg C, a likely underestimate if these habitats sequester carbon at soil depths [1 m and/or sequester inorganic carbon. Together, Indonesia's seagrasses and mangroves conservatively account for 3.4 Pg C, roughly 17 % of the world's blue carbon reservoir. Continued degradation and destruction of these wetlands has important consequences for CO 2 emissions and dissolved carbon exchange with adjacent coastal waters. We estimate that roughly 29,040 Gg CO 2 (eq.) is returned annually to the atmosphere-ocean pool. This amount is equivalent to about 3.2 % of Indonesia's annual emissions associated with forest and peat land conversion. These results highlight the urgent need for blue carbon and REDD? projects as a means to stem the decline in wetland area and to mitigate the release of a significant fraction of the world's coastal carbon stores.

show abstract

“…From when seagrass meadows were recognized as potentially important "blue" carbon (organic carbon sequestered by vegetated coastal ecosystems) sinks, there has been a surge in efforts to determine the magnitude and variability of organic carbon (OC) storage within their sediments (Nellemann et al, 2009;Duarte et al, 2010Duarte et al, , 2013Fourqurean et al, 2012;Lavery et al, 2013;Campbell et al, 2014;Macreadie et al, 2014;Serrano et al, 2014Serrano et al, , 2015Serrano et al, , 2016bMiyajima et al, 2015;Phang et al, 2015;Armitage and Fourqurean, 2016;Dahl et al, 2016;Jankowska et al, 2016;Röhr et al, 2016;SamperVillarreal et al, 2016;Schile et al, 2016). Here, we point out two notable knowledge gaps, along with current methodological pitfalls, that are obscuring our ability to understand seagrass OC dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Muddy Waters: Unintentional Consequences of Blue Carbon Research Obscure Our Understanding of Organic Carbon Dynamics in Seagrass Ecosystems

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The recent surge in research on organic carbon sequestration by seagrass ecosystems has begun to reveal the complexity of the carbon cycle within these ecosystems. In this prospective we discuss two areas of investigation that require further scrutiny: (1) why organic carbon is stabilized in seagrass sediments, and (2) how long organic carbon resides within these sediments. By delving into these topics, pointing out current pitfalls, and highlighting methodological advances, our motive is to focus future efforts and provide a frame work to manage the complexity found within the diverse seagrass bioregions. The high rate of seagrass degradation and loss, coupled with increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations gives precedence to these lines of research, which require rigorous reevaluation if we are to substantially advance our understanding of OC dynamics in seagrass ecosystems.

show abstract

Carbon Storage in Seagrass Beds of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Cited by 88 publications

References 30 publications

Location and Associated Carbon Storage of Erosional Escarpments of Seagrass Posidonia Mats

Location and Associated Carbon Storage of Erosional Escarpments of Seagrass Posidonia Mats

Indonesia’s blue carbon: a globally significant and vulnerable sink for seagrass and mangrove carbon

Muddy Waters: Unintentional Consequences of Blue Carbon Research Obscure Our Understanding of Organic Carbon Dynamics in Seagrass Ecosystems

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About