K’ómoks Estuary Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Beds: Assessing Baseline Biomass & Carbon Content and Sequestration for a BLUE CARBON Pilot Protocol
Presentation Abstract
“Blue Carbon” describes carbon stored in marine estuarine sediments where it may be stably sequestered for over one hundred years. British Columbia (BC) has over 1000 estuaries. Of the various estuarine habitats, the most critical for carbon sequestration is eelgrass, especially the native Zostera marina. In 2007, the Pacific Estuary Conservation Program found 200 of 442 assessed BC estuaries have been degraded in some fashion. Despite the fact that seagrass meadows are some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, their global organic carbon stores have not yet been assessed. The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society (Project Watershed) strives to work in partnership with local stewardship organizations, industry and all levels of government. In support of these objectives, one goal of Project Watershed is to manage research, restoration, assessment, protection and awareness raising projects in the K’ómoks Estuary and Puntledge River Watershed. The K’ómoks Estuary is listed as a Class 1 (undamaged) estuary, is one of the most productive estuaries on Vancouver Island and is also considered third for greatest potential carbon sequestration after the Fraser River and the Chemanius River estuaries in BC. For these reasons the K’ómoks Estuary is an ideal location to pilot Blue Carbon protocol development. Questions facing Project Watershed regarding the development of protocols that meet Carbon Verification Standards include: identifying useful measures, carbon sequestration mechanisms and accuracy of analysis. To further their aim, Project Watershed is sponsoring graduate research. The goals of this Royal Roads University Master of Science study are to: • Determine baseline carbon storage and sequestration levels in the K’ómoks Estuary eelgrass population and sediments. • Determine the most robust and cost effective technique for mapping eelgrass beds (intertidal and subtidal) accurately in order to calculate the carbon in the K’ómoks Estuary eelgrass beds as a measure of density/m2 and mass/m2. This research will contribute to the British Columbia Blue Carbon Greenhouse Gas Protocol initiative project with MOU partners: BC Environmental Secretariat, Project Watershed, Vancouver Island University and the K’ómoks First Nation.
Session Title
Session S-07E: Aquatic Vegetation
Conference Track
Habitat
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 6:30 PM
Location
Room 6C
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Zostera marina--British Columbia--Vancouver Island; Coastal ecology--British Columbia--Vancouver Island; Carbon--Absorption and adsorption
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Comox Valley Project Watershed Society
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Vancouver Island (B.C.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
K’ómoks Estuary Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Beds: Assessing Baseline Biomass & Carbon Content and Sequestration for a BLUE CARBON Pilot Protocol
Room 6C
“Blue Carbon” describes carbon stored in marine estuarine sediments where it may be stably sequestered for over one hundred years. British Columbia (BC) has over 1000 estuaries. Of the various estuarine habitats, the most critical for carbon sequestration is eelgrass, especially the native Zostera marina. In 2007, the Pacific Estuary Conservation Program found 200 of 442 assessed BC estuaries have been degraded in some fashion. Despite the fact that seagrass meadows are some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, their global organic carbon stores have not yet been assessed. The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society (Project Watershed) strives to work in partnership with local stewardship organizations, industry and all levels of government. In support of these objectives, one goal of Project Watershed is to manage research, restoration, assessment, protection and awareness raising projects in the K’ómoks Estuary and Puntledge River Watershed. The K’ómoks Estuary is listed as a Class 1 (undamaged) estuary, is one of the most productive estuaries on Vancouver Island and is also considered third for greatest potential carbon sequestration after the Fraser River and the Chemanius River estuaries in BC. For these reasons the K’ómoks Estuary is an ideal location to pilot Blue Carbon protocol development. Questions facing Project Watershed regarding the development of protocols that meet Carbon Verification Standards include: identifying useful measures, carbon sequestration mechanisms and accuracy of analysis. To further their aim, Project Watershed is sponsoring graduate research. The goals of this Royal Roads University Master of Science study are to: • Determine baseline carbon storage and sequestration levels in the K’ómoks Estuary eelgrass population and sediments. • Determine the most robust and cost effective technique for mapping eelgrass beds (intertidal and subtidal) accurately in order to calculate the carbon in the K’ómoks Estuary eelgrass beds as a measure of density/m2 and mass/m2. This research will contribute to the British Columbia Blue Carbon Greenhouse Gas Protocol initiative project with MOU partners: BC Environmental Secretariat, Project Watershed, Vancouver Island University and the K’ómoks First Nation.
