Bill Austin – Carbon Stocks in the UK EEZ – hot off the presses
Scientists from the University of St Andrews and Marine Scotland have undertaken the first full mapping of carbon stores across the UK’s offshore Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to provide updated evidence for those trying to address aspects of climate and environmental change.
Marine sediments accumulating on the ocean floor act as traps and long-term stores of carbon. The new article, published in Frontiers in Earth Science today (4 March 2021), is the first comprehensive assessment of the entire UK EEZ carbon stock and provides a new methodological framework to map carbon in shelf sea sediments that could be applied worldwide. The research provides a UK-wide national break-down of carbon stocks in marine sediments, placing Scotland’s shelf seas very much at the forefront of these natural resources.
New research demonstrates crucial role of World Heritage marine sites in fighting climate change
Last week, UNESCO released the first global scientific assessment of its World Heritage marine sites’ blue carbon ecosystems, highlighting the critical environmental value of these habitats. While these sites represent less than 1% of the world’s ocean, they host at least 21% of the world’s blue carbon ecosystem area, and 15% of the world’s blue carbon assets.
Over the last decade, scientists have discovered that seagrass meadows, tidal marshes, and mangroves, known as “blue carbon” ecosystems, are among the most intensive ‘carbon sinks’, meaning a natural environment which can absorb carbon dioxide in the biosphere. They help mitigate climate change by sequestering and storing significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and ocean.
“Found on the fringes of the world’s coastlines, blue carbon ecosystems play an important ecological role in nutrient and carbon cycling, as nurseries and habitats for a broad range of marine and terrestrial species, in shoreline protection, and in sustaining the livelihoods and well-being of local communities.”
– Ernesto Ottone R., UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture