Blue Carbon stocks of Great Barrier Reef deep-water seagrasses

York, Paul H., Macreadie, Peter I., and Rasheed, Michael A. (2018) Blue Carbon stocks of Great Barrier Reef deep-water seagrasses. Biology Letters, 14 (12). 20180529.

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DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0529

View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0529

Abstract

Shallow-water seagrasses capture and store globally significant quantities of organic carbon (OC), often referred to as ‘Blue Carbon’; however, data are lacking on the importance of deep-water (greater than 15 m) seagrasses as Blue Carbon sinks. We compared OC stocks from deep-, mid- and shallow-water seagrasses at Lizard Island within the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. We found deep-water seagrass (Halophila species) contained similar levels of OC to shallow-water species (e.g. Halodule uninervis) (0.64 ± 0.08% and 0.9 ± 0.1 mg C cm−3, 0.87 ± 0.19% and 1.3 ± 0.3 mg C cm−3, respectively), despite being much sparser and smaller in stature. Deep-water seagrass sediments contained significantly higher levels (approx. ninefold) of OC than surrounding bare areas. Inorganic carbon (CaCO3) levels were relatively high in deep-water seagrass sediments (8.2 ± 0.4%) and, if precipitated from epiphytes within the meadow, could offset the potential CO2-sink capacity of these meadows. The δ13C signatures of sediment samples varied among depths and habitats (−10.9 and −17.0), reflecting contributions from autochthonous and allochthonous sources. If the OC stocks reported in this study are similar to deep-water Halophila meadows elsewhere within the GBR lagoon (total area 31 000 km2), then OC bound within this system is roughly estimated at 27.4 million tonnes.


Item ID:	56198
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1744-957X
Keywords:	seagrass; Blue Carbon; Great Barrier Reef
Copyright Information:	Copyright © 2018 The Author(s)
Additional Information:	Correction: York PH, Macreadie PI,Rasheed MA. 2020 Correction to‘Blue Carbonstocks of Great Barrier Reef deep-waterseagrasses’.Biol. Lett.16: 20190784. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0784
Funders:	Isobel Bennett Marine Biology Fellowship, Hermon Slade Raiatea Foundation, Australian Research Council (ARC)
Projects and Grants:	ARC Linkage Grant LP160100492, ARC DECRA Fellowship DE130101084
Research Data:	https://datadryad.org/handle/10255/dryad.187346
Date Deposited:	12 Dec 2018 21:55
FoR Codes:	41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4101 Climate change impacts and adaptation > 410199 Climate change impacts and adaptation not elsewhere classified @ 40% 37 EARTH SCIENCES > 3705 Geology > 370504 Marine geoscience @ 30% 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4101 Climate change impacts and adaptation > 410101 Carbon sequestration science @ 30%
SEO Codes:	96 ENVIRONMENT > 9605 Ecosystem Assessment and Management > 960507 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Marine Environments @ 40% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9607 Environmental Policy, Legislation and Standards > 960701 Coastal and Marine Management Policy @ 30% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9614 Soils > 961401 Coastal and Estuarine Soils @ 30%
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