High carbon accumulation rates in sediment adjacent to constructed oyster reefs, Northeast Florida, USA

Jessica Veenstra,Jillian Jackson,Melissa Southwell,Aubrey Kemper,Colin Herbert,Nikki Dix,Pamela Marcum,Cody Burns

doi:10.1007/s11852-021-00829-0

Jessica Veenstra, Jillian Jackson + Show 6 more

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-021-00829-0

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Abstract

High carbon accumulation rates in sediment adjacent to constructed oyster reefs, Northeast Florida, USA

Highlights

Oysters are at risk; 85% of oyster cover has been lost globally over the past 130 years (Beck et al 2011)
Carbon sequestration is yet another ecosystem service that oyster reefs could provide, which is becoming increasingly important as global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration rises carbon sequestration research has been largely focused on terrestrial ecosystems or the open ocean (Canadell and Raupach 2008; Sabine et al 2004), vegetated coastal ecosystems, such as seagrasses, salt marshes, and mangroves, have been identified as important carbon sinks
The vertical structure of oyster reefs increases surface roughness, which promotes the accumulation of fine sediment and burial of organic matter (Kristmanson and Wildish 1997; Chowdhury et al 2019)

Summary

Introduction

Oysters are at risk; 85% of oyster cover has been lost globally over the past 130 years (Beck et al 2011). The vertical structure of oyster reefs increases surface roughness, which promotes the accumulation of fine sediment and burial of organic matter (Kristmanson and Wildish 1997; Chowdhury et al 2019). They have been shown to attenuate wave energy as well (Chowdhury et al 2019; Kibler et al 2019; Wiberg et al 2019). Elevated organic matter and/or total C contents in sediments within oyster reefs provide evidence for these processes (Nelson et al 2004; Meyer and Townsend 2000; Kellogg et al 2013; Feinman et al 2018; Chambers et al 2017)

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