Carbon stocks in southern England's intertidal seagrass meadows

Abstract

This study analyses total carbon stock (Cstocks) from the Isle of Wight, Solent, and adjacent harbours in southern England, including organic carbon (Corg) stored in the sediment and plant. Results from this study contribute to global blue carbon research by reporting the first direct assessment of sediment Cstocks in the top metre of intertidal seagrass meadows from the Solent region, with significant Cstocks, on average 103.12 ± 71.45 MgC ha−1, comparable to other global regions. This study also compared sediment %Corg and percentage of organic matter (%OM) within seagrass meadows and adjacent, un-vegetated, sampling points, showing that un-vegetated mudflats had higher %Corg and %OM than seagrass for most sites, apart from Hayling Island. This study shows that %OM can be confidently used as a proxy to determine sediment %Corg values in intertidal seagrass meadows. These results support the inclusion of the region's seagrass meadows in conservation and restoration projects, aiming not only to conserve the C stored in their soils, but also increase their future C uptake potential.