Tag: blue carbon

Peer-reviewed Publications

Chen et al. (2026): Shoot litter outweighs root inputs in building soil organic carbon during Spartina alterniflora invasion in a coastal wetland

Yamin Chen, Yanghui He, Lingyan Zhou, Peter M. Homyak, Guiyao Zhou, Kaiyan Zhai, Diandian Wei, Boyun Tian and Xuhui Zhou, IN: Soil Biology and Biochemistry, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2026.110104

Coastal salt marsh wetlands are highly productive ecosystems with carbon (C) sequestration rates up to 40–50 times higher than forests, making them a major biome for climate change mitigation. However, plant invasions driven by human activities are altering vegetation composition, C allocation, decomposition dynamics, and ultimately the fate of soil organic C (SOC). Here the authors conducted a 4-year field-based mesocosm experiment to simulate the invasion of the C₄ plant, Spartina alterniflora Loisel, into C₃ plant-dominated coastal wetland soils and to quantify the relative contributions of above- and below-ground litter inputs to SOC formation.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Banerjee et al. (2026): Carbon Sequestration Potentials and Land Management Approaches Along the Fringes of the Mangrove Forest in the Indian Sundarbans

Sinchan Banerjee, Abhisek Santra, Tuhin Bhadra, Roshan Das, Rupayan Sardar, Soumak Roy, Kasturi Mukherjee and Abinit Saha, IN: Springer Nature, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-00704-9_18

The Sundarbans, a complex coastal mangrove ecosystem, is important for climate change mitigation because it has a significant potential to sequester carbon. The study aims to evaluate the stored and potential threats to blue carbon stocks along the fringe areas of the Indian Sundarbans and to propose effective land management strategies to conserve and restore these stocks. This research used historical data, field measurements, remote sensing data, and different modeling techniques to quantify carbon stocks and project future scenarios.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nawab et al. (2025): From pollution to ocean warming: The climate impacts of marine microplastics

Asim Nawab, Muhammad Tariq Khan, I. Ihsanullah, Mohammad Nafees and Aamir Mehmood Shah, IN: Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazmp.2025.100032

Despite being a critical global issue, the role of microplastics (MPs) in climate change has received limited attention. Climate disruption and plastic pollution are two major environmental challenges that intersect in complex ways. MPs influence biogeochemical processes, disrupt oceanic carbon pumps, and contribute directly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In marine ecosystems, MPs alter the natural carbon sequestration by affecting phytoplankton and zooplankton, which are key agents of carbon cycling. Additionally, the plastisphere, a microbial community colonizing MPs, plays a significant role in GHG production due to its diverse microbial networks.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Krumhansl et al. (2026): Blue carbon sequestration dominated by dissolved organic carbon pathways for kelp forests and eelgrass meadows in Nova Scotia, Canada

Kira A. Krumhansl, Melisa C. Wong, Manon M. M. Picard, Meredith Fraser, Carrie-Ellen Gabriel, Yongsheng Wu and Kumiko Azetsu-Scott, IN: Communications Earth & Environment, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-03122-2

Existing estimates of carbon sequestration by coastal vegetated ecosystems (e.g., kelp forests, seagrass meadows) remain highly uncertain because they utilize few measurements with high uncertainty or focus on individual stocks or fluxes. Here, the authors combine empirical data with modeling to generate detailed carbon budgets for kelp forests and eelgrass meadows in Nova Scotia, Canada.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Xu et al. (2025): Microbial decomposition of Sargassum enhances recalcitrant dissolved organic carbon production and sedimentary carbon sequestration

Lili Xu, Bilin Jin, Ligong Zou, Yee Jun Tham, Yufeng Yang and Qing Wang, IN: Journal of Environmental Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128430

Seaweeds are fundamental components and primary producers in marine ecosystems, and their growth and decay significantly influence environmental conditions and microbial community structure. However, considerable debate persists regarding whether seaweed decomposition enhances marine carbon sequestration, and the role of microbes in seaweed degradation remains unclear. This study examined the degradation process of Sargassum under controlled laboratory conditions to assess its potential for carbon sequestration.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Lu et al. (2025): From Mechanisms to Markets: A Precision Quantification Framework and Paradigm Shift for Saltmarsh Carbon Sinks

Rui Lu, Qiang Wang, Yanxin Zhao and Yiquan Yuan, IN: ESS Open Archive, https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.176659808.84665979/v1

Salt marshes play a critical yet poorly quantified role as efficient blue-carbon sinks due to methodological limitations in assessing their complex carbon dynamics. This review synthesizes mechanisms and drivers of saltmarsh carbon sequestration, emphasizing the synergy between biogeomorphic engineering and microbial–geochemical feedbacks that enable long-term carbon stabilization.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Mejjad et al. (2025): Blue carbon sequestration and storage potential has increased in seagrass sediments from Northern Morocco

Nezha Mejjad, Abdelmourhit Laissaoui, Azzouz Benkdad, Fouad Taous, Mohammed El Bouch, Anas Otmani & Moncef Benmansour, IN: Communications Earth & Environment, https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02966-y

Driven by the essential role of blue carbon ecosystems in mitigating climate change and by scarce regional data, here the authors aim to quantify carbon sequestration rates and storage in a Moroccan coastal vegetated ecosystem over time using nuclear approaches.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Spilmont & Zardi (2025): Intertidal mussel–symbiont associations act as CO₂ sinks during daily emersion

Nicolas Spilmont; Gerardo I. Zardi, IN: Biology Letters, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2025.0498

Human activities have disrupted the global carbon cycle, reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) uptake by tidal wetlands and submerged vegetation. This exacerbates climate challenges, including rising temperatures and ocean acidification. Coastal systems such as mangroves and seagrasses serve as key carbon sinks, promising for CO₂ removal (CDR). Growing attention is being given to bivalves, whose calcification and reef-building activities shape coastal carbon dynamics. Most studies reduce bivalve impacts to a balance between individual CO₂ emissions and the carbon stored in their shells and tissues, often overlooking species interactions—such as symbioses—that may modulate carbon fluxes. Here, the authors examined the mussel–symbiont holobiont using Mytilus edulis under emersion in a controlled chamber to quantify CO₂ exchange.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Costa et al. (2025): Indigenous stewardship and co-management in action: a case study on blue carbon from a mangrove ecosystem on the Great Barrier Reef

Micheli D.P. Costa, I. Noyan Yilmaz, Pawel Waryszak, Rory Crofts, Melissa Wartman, Pere Masqué, Brian Singleton, Gavin Singleton, Ashlyn Skeene, Lucy Friend, Peter I. Macreadie, IN: Ocean & Coastal Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107971

Blue carbon ecosystems play a vital role in climate change mitigation and adaptation through their capacity to sequester and store organic carbon. Queensland, Australia, contains over 500,000 ha of mangroves, much of it under the stewardship of Traditional Custodians. The mangrove forests of the Bidakarra (Barron River) estuary provide a unique opportunity to demonstrate how Indigenous leadership, scientific research, and local industry partnerships can advance both ecological and cultural outcomes. The authors present a co-designed case study from Kukujum (Ellie Point), an area co-managed by Cairns Airport, Yirrganydji Gurabana Aboriginal Corporation, and the Yirrganydji Land and Sea Ranger Program through Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Kuwae et al. (2025): Empirical analysis of project–purchaser dynamics in Japan’s blue carbon dioxide removal credit scheme

Tomohiro Kuwae, Yuka Suzuki and Masanori Furuya, IN: Research Square, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7525613/v1

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and associated credit mechanisms are gaining prominence in carbon neutrality strategies, yet empirical evaluations of their sustainability remain limited. Here, the authors analyzed 61 blue carbon projects and 471 certified transactions under Japan’s J-Blue Credit scheme to examine the characteristics of projects and purchasers and their interrelationships.

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