Abstract
Seagrass habitats provide important ecosystem services, including their ability to take up and store substantial amounts of organic carbon, known as ‘blue carbon.’ However, the paucity of geospatial and carbon storage information along the Pacific Coast of Canada hinders the inclusion of blue carbon storage data in conservation planning and policy development in coastal habitats. We assessed the carbon storage and accumulation rates in three eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows in southern Clayoquot Sound on the Pacific Coast of British Columbia. The intertidal and subtidal portions of each meadow were mapped and sampled to estimate eelgrass density, biomass, and carbon, and sediment cores were analyzed to estimate sediment carbon storage and accumulation rates. Aboveground biomass measurements were consistent with estimates for Z. marina in other regions, with average aboveground carbon biomass estimates of 16.78 g C m-2 and 16.25 g C m-2 in the intertidal and subtidal areas, respectively. However, the estimated aboveground to belowground biomass ratio was an order of magnitude higher than for seagrass species in temperate/tropical areas, largely because belowground biomass was up to 10 times lower than for other Z. marina meadows, averaging 6.17 g C m-2 and 5.03 g C m-2 in the intertidal and subtidal zones, respectively. Sediment carbon concentrations did not exceed 1.30%Corg, and carbon accumulation rates ranged from 2.90–39.61 g Corg m-2 yr-1, decreasing with depth and averaging 10.8 ± 5.2 g Corg m-2 yr-1. While sediment carbon stocks were generally higher in the eelgrass meadows relative to non-vegetated reference sites, carbons stocks averaged 1343 ± 482 g Corg m-2, substantially less than global averages. These carbon results confirm that eelgrass does contribute to carbon storage in Clayoquot Sound but at lower rates than identified for more tropical seagrasses. By improving the quantification of site-specific carbon dynamics, eelgrass’ role in climate change mitigation and conservation planning can be assessed.
Highlights
Coastal marine habitats are recognized as highly productive ecosystems worldwide
Average aboveground biomass (AGB) ranged from 13 ± 8 g DW m-2 at Kennedy Cove to 65 ± 47 g DW m-2 at Grice Bay, which translated into carbon stocks of 5 ± 3 to 23 ± 17 g C m-2 (Fig 3; S3 Table)
Average AGB ranged from 11 ± 4 g DW m-2 at Kennedy Cove to 92 ± 51 g DW m-2 at Robert Point, which translated into carbon stocks from 4 ± 1 to 33 ± 18 g C m-2
Summary
Coastal marine habitats are recognized as highly productive ecosystems worldwide Their potential to accumulate and store organic carbon (Corg), known as ‘blue carbon’, has largely been overlooked on the Pacific Coast of North America (in the Northeast Pacific seagrass bioregion) [1, 2]. In addition to eelgrass’ role in ecosystem regulation, sediment deposition, and substrate stabilization, Z. marina and other eelgrass species are thought to act as an important carbon sink [1, 3] This carbon is stored in the sediment, accumulating mainly from in situ production and sedimentation processes [4]. The sediment can accrete vertically for a longer period of time than terrestrial forests, increasing carbon accumulation [6]
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