The Evolution of Blue Carbon Science

Abstract

Abstract‘Blue carbon’ was coined over a decade ago to describe the contribution of mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal marshes to carbon drawdown in coasts and oceans, concomitantly attracting attention of policy-makers and resource managers to their potential as a natural climate solution. Here, we explore the emergence and evolution of this relatively new research field through bibliometrics approaches to investigate patterns and trends in scientific publications through time. Our aim was to understand the evolution of blue carbon science, from where we came from and where we are now. We analysed 1,729 papers from 5,763 authors. Overall, the carbon-sink capacity of these ecosystems has been recognised long before the term ‘blue carbon’ was coined; with an annual percentage growth rate of 20% y− 1. Research attention was highest for mangroves (~ 38% of publications), followed by saltmarshes (~ 22%), and seagrasses (~ 18%); while ~ 16% of the studies included two or more blue carbon ecosystems and 5% of the studies focused on other ecosystems. The citation burst analysis showed that, in the 1990s, the hot topic (i.e., fast-growing topic) was related to the overall flux and dynamics of carbon, with a recent transition to the role of coastal vegetation to climate change mitigation from 2009. The term ‘blue carbon’ became a hot topic in 2017, with the strongest citation burst between 2017 and 2020. This bibliometric study draws the patterns and trends of blue carbon science and indicate that this field is evolving through time to focus more on the blue carbon role as nature climate solutions.

Sustainably developing global blue carbon for climate change mitigation and economic benefits through international cooperation

“…To facilitate the management of blue carbon, clear and measurable objectives must be defined at national and local scales. An effective management framework should take into account regional livelihoods and integrates the dimensions of governance, finance, and technology 48 . In addition, a clear benefit-sharing mechanism is needed to ensure equitable distribution of blue carbon benefits, and ecosystem services should be integrated as well 46 .…”

Deconstructing the mangrove carbon cycle: Gains, transformation, and losses

“…There has been an exponential growth of studies on the mangrove carbon cycle in the past years (Duarte de Paula & Macreadie, 2022), including comprehensive reviews that have provided invaluable frameworks (Alongi, 2020; Bouillon et al, 2008; Twilley et al, 2017). Here, we build on these studies to provide an updated and holistic estimation of the carbon cycle of mangroves.…”

Tidal influence on carbon dioxide and methane fluxes from tree stems and soils in mangrove forests

“…Mangroves are primarily distributed in tropical and subtropical coastal regions and are regarded as critical ecosystems with a 60 high capacity for sequestering blue carbon (Li et al, 2018;Duarte de Paula Costa and Macreadie, 2022). The anaerobic conditions resulting from tidal inundation, along with the abundant organic matter, turn mangrove soil into a substantial source of CH4 emissions (Lin et al, 2020).…”