Most of the carbon disturbed by trawls is unreactive and difficult to convert to CO₂.
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Articles on Blue carbon
Displaying 1 - 20 of 31 articles
Marine sediments are the world’s largest store of carbon, and fiords in particular are a massive sink. But New Zealand doesn’t even have an oceans policy to develop blue carbon climate policy.
We want good news on climate change. But whales storing enough carbon needs more evidence.
Mangroves and salt marshes pump out methane – but soak up carbon dioxide. Overall, the world’s coasts are a net greenhouse sink – and we must preserve them
By adapting and applying existing policies, South Africa can protect and restore its critical ‘blue carbon’ sinks.
As the world’s largest archipelagic state, Indonesia has great potential to earn carbon credits to protect its endangered mangroves and seagrass – which now store around 17% of global “blue carbon”.
Mangroves support a significant amount of biodiversity and their soils can capture a great deal of carbon.
From planting mangroves to dumping minerals in the ocean, there are lots of ideas for ocean carbon dioxide removal – and even more questions.
Our ocean forests of seaweed are enormous. But these quick-growing, life-supporting forests are already vanishing.
Millions of mangroves died off along Australia’s northern coast. The cause? El Niño - and the moon’s wobbly orbit causing extremely low tides.
‘Blue carbon’ habitats can store a lot of carbon – but not reliably enough to offset emissions.
Tidal marshes can build up their soil to keep pace with sea-level rises – up to a point. It turns out the point when the marsh is drowned matches the average rise when global warming exceeds 1.5°C.
For decades, Indonesia’s mangroves have been degraded or turned into aquaculture. But there are signs of progress, with a new focus on restoration and income-generating alternatives.
Seaweed was thought to be a vital tool in the fight to slow climate change. But it turns out seaweed ecosystems may be a natural source of carbon dioxide – and not a sink.
For over a decade, the inclusion of oceans in climate talks has been piecemeal and inconsistent. And yet, the ocean is critical to help balance the conditions we need to survive.
Work is still needed to collect more data on the carbon capture capacity of the country’s rich coastal ecosystems.
Rather than considering the job done, Tasmania should seize opportunities including renewable energy, net-zero industrial exports and forest preservation.
Seagrass meadows are a powerful ally in the effort to slow climate change and reverse wildlife losses.
Despite their enormous value, mangroves are being removed at an alarming rate. A new tool aims to help communities reverse mangrove loss and tap into conservation programs and funding.
Done right, offsetting projects can benefit local people and make a measurable difference to carbon emissions.
Top contributors
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Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University
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Postdoctoral Researcher (DST-NRF Innovation Fellow) DST-NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems Ocean Sciences Campus, Nelson Mandela University
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Professor of Marine Biology, Bangor University
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Professor of Biology, The University of Queensland
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Associate Researcher, University of Tasmania
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Professor in School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences; and Director of Environmental Futures Research Centre, University of Wollongong
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Associate Fellow, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
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Professor of Marine Ecology, Edith Cowan University
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Professor, The University of Western Australia
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Honorary Reader, University of East Anglia
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Research Fellow in Marine Science, Griffith University
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Associate professor in marine biology, Swansea University
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Assistant Professor, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society // CEO MarFishEco Fisheries Consultant Ltd, Heriot-Watt University
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Emeritus Professor of Environmental Governance, UCL
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Distinguished Professor of Marine Science, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
