Blue carbon potential of eelgrass in the Puget Sound
Presentation Abstract
Coastal ecosystems sequester and store large amounts of carbon making them important contributors to the global carbon budget. There are growing efforts to quantify this coastal marine carbon, referred to as blue carbon, in different regions of the world. Due to the diversity of species and habitats worldwide, and to high spatial variability in carbon storage capacity, local estimates yield the best measures of stored carbon. In this study we estimate the blue carbon potential of eelgrass ecosystems in the Puget Sound, WA, USA. Although direct measures of sediment carbon in seagrass beds are mostly unavailable for the Puget Sound, we used carbon storage values from Padilla Bay, the region with the largest eelgrass extent, and extrapolated carbon storage capacity of Puget Sound eelgrass beds. Our analysis suggests that eelgrass beds in Puget Sound sequester carbon at a rate of 4.2 ± 1.9 ktC yr-1 and store 1819 ± 239 ktC of carbon in the sediment. The uncertainties associated with these estimates can be reduced through location-specific studies of the effects of depth, eutrophication, and sedimentation on carbon burial and storage.
Session Title
The Role of Eelgrass Ecosystems in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Habitat
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events); posters
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Eelgrass--Carbon content--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Carbon sequestration--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)
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
Blue carbon potential of eelgrass in the Puget Sound
2016SSEC
Coastal ecosystems sequester and store large amounts of carbon making them important contributors to the global carbon budget. There are growing efforts to quantify this coastal marine carbon, referred to as blue carbon, in different regions of the world. Due to the diversity of species and habitats worldwide, and to high spatial variability in carbon storage capacity, local estimates yield the best measures of stored carbon. In this study we estimate the blue carbon potential of eelgrass ecosystems in the Puget Sound, WA, USA. Although direct measures of sediment carbon in seagrass beds are mostly unavailable for the Puget Sound, we used carbon storage values from Padilla Bay, the region with the largest eelgrass extent, and extrapolated carbon storage capacity of Puget Sound eelgrass beds. Our analysis suggests that eelgrass beds in Puget Sound sequester carbon at a rate of 4.2 ± 1.9 ktC yr-1 and store 1819 ± 239 ktC of carbon in the sediment. The uncertainties associated with these estimates can be reduced through location-specific studies of the effects of depth, eutrophication, and sedimentation on carbon burial and storage.
