Eelgrass: A Climate Hero
· Islands Trust Area · Reports & Publications · 2020
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Topics: Climate & environment · Marine & foreshore — our classification, not the Trust's.
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Eelgrass: A Climate Hero Aimee McGowan, Blue Carbon Researcher, SFU (REM) Victoria Postlethwaite, Blue Carbon Researcher, SFU (REM) Nikki Wright, Eelgrass Specialist, SeaChange Marine Conservation Society Climate Change Stewardship Education Program November 24, 2020 Outline 1.WhyisEelgrassimportant? 2.WhatisBlueCarbon? 3.EelgrassonthePacificCoastofCanada 4.ResearchingBlueCarboninClayoquotSound 5.ProtectingBlueCarbonintheTrustArea Seagrass ●Afloweringplantthatgrowsin marineenvironments ●Areso-namedbecausemost specieshavelonggreen,grass-like leaves ●Commonlyfoundindepthsof1to3 meters,butsomefoundatdepths of58meters! 1 www.researchgate.net Seagrass •Known as the "lungs of the sea" •Seagrasses are believed to be one of the most valuable ecosystem in the world! •There are about 70 different species worldwide 1 https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/plants-algae/seagrass-and-seagrass-beds ●Zosteramarinaiscommonly distributedintheshallowsareasof temperateestuaries ●Eelgrassesformdenseunderwater meadows ●Intertidalzone:thepartofa shorebetweenthehighwaterand thelowwater ●Subtidalzone:belowthelevelof thetide Eelgrass https://www.geocaching.com/ Eelgrass Meadow Eelgrass Meadow: Intertidal Eelgrass Meadow: Subtidal ●Recognizedforthemyriadof ecosystemservicesitprovides: -regulateswaterquality -stabilizesshorelines -providesshelterandfoodtoa diversecommunityofspecies -shallownurseryhabitatforfish andothermarinespecies Eelgrass Blue Carbon ●Captureandstoreorganic carbonfromtheatmosphere intheirleaves,roots,and sediments ●Carbonstoredisknownas ‘bluecarbon’ ●Carbonstoredintheeelgrass’ rootsandsedimentscanbe storedovercenturiesor millenia ●Seagrass meadows cover <0.2% of the global ocean, yet account for ~10% of the yearly total carbon stored in the ocean ●Some species are known to store carbon up to 12x faster than terrestrial forests! ●Increased recognition of the potential these ecosystems have for climate change mitigation increases interest in quantifying the amount of organic carbon that they can store Blue Carbon Systems ●~ 25-50% of the world’s coastal wetlands lost due to land-use changes ●~0.4–2.6% of seagrass area is being lost globally ●>29% of seagrass area has been lost since 1879 ●At current rates, 30–40% of seagrasses and tidal marshes could be lost in the next 100 years! Blue Carbon Systems ●Upon destruction, the carbon stored in blue carbon systems is released back into the ocean ●Shifting them from carbon sinksto carbon sources Blue Carbon Systems http://wetlandscoralreefsseagrass.blogspot.com/2015 /10/wondering-what-is-coastal-development.html ●Only3%ofseagrassmeadowsinCanada havebeenmapped ●Thelackofdatahinderstheirinclusionin coastalhabitatandbluecarbonconservation planning ●Toimproveassessmentsofthebluecarbon storagepotentialofseagrassesalong coastalBC,amorethoroughunderstanding ofthevariabilitybetweenseagrass meadowsandtheenvironmentalfactors thatinfluencecarbonstorageisrequired Seagrass on the Pacific Coast of North
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