Carbon Sequestration in a Pacific Northwest Eelgrass (<i>Zostera marina</i>) Meadow

Poppe, Katrina L.; Rybczyk, John

doi:10.3955/046.092.0202

Cited by 15 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(62 reference statements)

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“…A similar study was carried out south of British Columbia, in Puget Sound, Washington, DC, United States. Poppe and Rybczyk (2018) found eelgrass C stock to range from 1180-1900 g C m −2 , averaging at 1420 ± 110 g C m −2 , but also here the integrated core depth was three times as deep (30 cm) as in our study. A recent comprehensive assessment of C stock (integrated over 25 cm sediment depth) across the distributional range of Z. marina further established the spatial variability, which ranged from 318 ± 10 -26523 ± 667 g C m −2 , and averaged 2721 ± 989 g C m −2 (Röhr et al, 2018).…”

Section: Danish Eelgrass Sediment Stocks In a Broader Seagrass Contextsupporting

confidence: 64%

Sediment Stocks of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus in Danish Eelgrass Meadows

et al. 2018

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Seagrass ecosystems provide an array of ecosystem services ranging from habitat provision to erosion control. From a climate change and eutrophication mitigation perspective, the ecosystem services include burial and storage of carbon and nutrients in the sediments. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is the most abundant seagrass species along the Danish coasts, and while its function as a carbon and nutrient sink has been documented in some areas, the spatial variability of these functions, and the drivers behind them, are not well understood. Here we present the first nationwide study on eelgrass sediment stock of carbon (C stock ), nitrogen (N stock ), and phosphorus (P stock ). Stocks were measured in the top 10 cm of eelgrass meadows spanning semi-enclosed estuaries (inner and outer fjords) to open coasts. Further, we assessed environmental factors (level of exposure, sediment properties, level of eutrophication) from each area to evaluate their relative importance as drivers of the spatial pattern in the respective stocks. We found large spatial variability in sediment stocks, representing 155-4413 g C m −2 , 24-448 g N m −2 , and 7-34 g P m −2 . C stock and N stock were significantly higher in inner fjords compared to outer fjords and open coasts. C stock , N stock , and P stock showed a significantly positive relationship with the silt-clay content in the sediments. Moreover, C stock was also significantly higher in more eutrophied areas with high concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll a (chl a) in the water column. Conversely, siltclay content was not related to nutrients or chl a, suggesting a spatial dependence of the importance of these factors in driving stock sizes and implying that local differences in sediment properties and eutrophication level should be included when evaluating the storage capacity of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in Danish eelgrass meadows. These insights provide guidance to managers in selecting priority areas for carbon and nutrient storage for climate-and eutrophication mitigation initiatives.

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Section: Danish Eelgrass Sediment Stocks In a Broader Seagrass Contextsupporting

confidence: 64%

Sediment Stocks of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus in Danish Eelgrass Meadows

et al. 2018

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“…The low OC stocks and high variability found in our study are not uncommon to other Z. marina meadows located in temperate regions (Hodgson and Spooner ; Jankowska et al ; Röhr et al , ; Kindeberg et al ; Poppe and Rybczyk ; Postlethwaite et al ). These low and variable values, along with a lack of data on meadow extent, present challenges for including seagrasses in national and international blue carbon policies (Hejnowicz et al ; Green et al ; Needelman et al ).…”

Section: Future Directionssupporting

confidence: 59%

Reduced water motion enhances organic carbon stocks in temperate eelgrass meadows

Prentice

Hessing‐Lewis

Sanders‐Smith

et al. 2019

Limnology & Oceanography

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Organic carbon (OC) storage in coastal vegetated ecosystems is increasingly being considered in carbon financing and climate change mitigation strategies. However, spatial heterogeneity in these “blue carbon” stocks among and within habitats has only recently been examined, despite its considerable implications. Seagrass meadows have potential to store significant amounts of carbon in their sediments, yet studies comparing sediment OC content at regional and meadow scales remain sparse. Here, we collected sediment cores from six temperate eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows on the coast of British Columbia, Canada, to quantify sediment OC stocks, accumulation rates, and sources, and to examine local and regional drivers of variability. Sediment OC content was highly variable—across all sites, stocks in the top 0–5 cm ranged from 83 to 1089 g OC m−2, while the 15–20 cm stocks exhibited a 24‐fold difference, from 59 to 1407 g OC m−2. Carbon accumulation rates ranged from 4 to 33 g OC m−2 yr−1. Isotopic mixing models revealed that sediment OC was primarily terrestrial carbon (41.3%) and canopy‐forming kelps (33.3%), with a smaller contribution of eelgrass (25.3%). Here, we show that regional variability in OC content exceeds meadow‐scale variability. This result is likely driven by landscape factors, most notably relative water motion, representing a more dominant control on seagrass OC accumulation than meadow‐scale factors such as canopy complexity. These findings elicit caution when scaling up seagrass meadow OC content and demonstrate that measures of the hydrodynamic environment could improve estimates of carbon storage in temperate soft sediment habitats.

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“…As shown by other recent work in temperate Z. marina meadows (Hodgson & Spooner, 2016;Jankowska et al, 2016;Oreska et al, 2017;Poppe & Rybczyk, 2018;Postlethwaite et al, 2018;Prentice et al, 2019;Röhr et al, 2018), eelgrass carbon stocks and accumulation rates appear substantially lower than previously published global estimates for seagrass meadows (Fourqurean et al, 2012;Mcleod et al, 2011). These trends emphasize the importance of obtaining local values for carbon sequestration and storage in coastal habitats, particularly in the context of carbon credits and offset schemes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“… Note . Sources are as follows: 1 = Prentice et al (), (2) Spooner (), (3) Poppe and Rybczyk (), (4) Lutz (2018), and (5) Short et al ().…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We analyzed all available sediment carbon data from eelgrass meadows in the Pacific Northwest, spanning from Southeast Alaska to Southern Oregon. Collections were made independently by a number of research groups and included published manuscripts, theses, and unpublished values (Lutz, 2018; Murray, ; Poppe & Rybczyk, ; Prentice et al, ; Short et al, ; Spooner, ; Stephens & Eckert, ). While the studies varied slightly in their objectives and scope, all studies had a common goal of quantifying carbon stocks, sequestration rates, and sources of stored carbon in Z. marina meadows of the Pacific Northwest, to continue to fill the data gap for this region and species.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Synthesis of Blue Carbon Stocks, Sources, and Accumulation Rates in Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Meadows in the Northeast Pacific

Prentice

Poppe

Lutz

et al. 2020

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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There is increasing urgency to implement climate change mitigation strategies that enhance greenhouse gas removal from the atmosphere and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Recently, coastal “blue carbon” habitats⁠—mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows—have received attention for their ability to capture CO2 and store organic carbon (OC), primarily in their sediments. Across habitat types and regions, however, information about the sequestration rates and sources of carbon to local sediments remains sparse. Here we compiled recently obtained estimates of sediment OC stocks and sequestration rates from 139 cores collected from temperate seagrass (Zostera marina) meadows in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Across all cores sediment OC content averaged 0.75%. Organic carbon stocks in the top 25 cm and 1 m of the sediment averaged 1,846 and 7,168 g OC m−2, respectively. Carbon sequestration rates ranged from 4.6 to 93.0 g OC m−2 yr−1 and averaged 24.8 g OC m−2 yr−1. Isotopic data from this region suggest that OC in the sediments is largely from noneelgrass sources. In general, these values are comparable to those from other temperate Z. marina meadows, but significantly lower than previously reported values for seagrasses globally. These results further highlight the need for local and species‐level quantification of blue carbon parameters. While temperate eelgrass meadows may not sequester and store as much carbon as seagrass meadows elsewhere, climate policy incentives should still be implemented to protect existing sediment carbon stocks and the other critical ecosystem services associated with eelgrass habitats.

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Carbon Sequestration in a Pacific Northwest Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Meadow

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 15 publications

References 56 publications

Sediment Stocks of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus in Danish Eelgrass Meadows

Sediment Stocks of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus in Danish Eelgrass Meadows

Reduced water motion enhances organic carbon stocks in temperate eelgrass meadows

A Synthesis of Blue Carbon Stocks, Sources, and Accumulation Rates in Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Meadows in the Northeast Pacific

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