Seagrass losses since mid-20th century fuelled CO emissions from soil carbon stocks

Seagrass meadows store globally significant organic carbon (Corg) stocks which, if disturbed, can lead to CO2 emissions, contributing to climate change. Eutrophication and thermal stress continue to be a major cause of seagrass decline worldwide, but the associated CO2 emissions remain poorly unders...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Salinas, Cristian|||0000-0002-4716-5991, Duarte, Carlos M.|||0000-0002-1213-1361, Lavery, Paul S.|||0000-0001-5162-273X, Masqué Barri, Pere|||0000-0002-1789-320X, Arias-Ortiz, Ariane|||0000-0001-9408-0061, Leon, Javier X.|||0000-0002-4201-5804, Callaghan, David|||0000-0003-1405-7510, Kendrick, G. A.|||0000-0002-0276-6064, Serrano, Oscar|||0000-0002-5973-0046
Format: article
Publication Date:2020
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:232714
Online Access:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/232714
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1111/gcb.15204
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Blue Carbon
Carbon sinks
Climate change
Conservation
Erosion
Eutrophication
Seagrass meadows
Description
Summary:Seagrass meadows store globally significant organic carbon (Corg) stocks which, if disturbed, can lead to CO2 emissions, contributing to climate change. Eutrophication and thermal stress continue to be a major cause of seagrass decline worldwide, but the associated CO2 emissions remain poorly understood. This study presents comprehensive estimates of seagrass soil Corg erosion following eutrophication-driven seagrass loss in Cockburn Sound (23 km2 between 1960s and 1990s) and identifies the main drivers. We estimate that shallow seagrass meadows (<5 m depth) had significantly higher Corg stocks in 50 cm thick soils (4.5 ± 0.7 kg Corg/m2) than previously vegetated counterparts (0.5 ± 0.1 kg Corg/m2). In deeper areas (.

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