How do seagrasses sequester carbon?
Seagrass plants have an excellent capacity for taking up and storing carbon in the oxygen-depleted seabed, where it decomposes much slower than on land. This oxygen-free sediment traps the carbon in the dead plant material which may then remain buried for hundreds of years.
What role do seagrasses play in their environment?
A vital part of the marine ecosystem due to their productivity level, seagrasses provide food, habitat, and nursery areas for numerous vertebrate and invertebrate species. Seagrasses perform numerous functions: Stabilizing the sea bottom. Providing food and habitat for other marine organisms.
What role do salt marshes play in carbon sequestration?
Salt marshes, mangroves, and seagrass beds absorb large quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it, thus decreasing the effects of global warming. Carbon sequestration — the process of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, measured as a rate of carbon uptake per year.
Why are seagrasses and mangroves vitally important in the fight against climate change?
The coastal ecosystems of mangroves, seagrass meadows and tidal marshes mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and oceans at significantly higher rates, per unit area, than terrestrial forests (Figure 1).
What is happening to sea grasses as carbon dioxide is increasing in the oceans?
As with ecosystems like rainforests and mangroves, loss of seagrass increases carbon dioxide emissions. And that spells trouble not just for certain habitats but for the whole planet.
How are seagrasses different than land plants?
Land plants have chloroplasts in both the stems and leaves, but in seagrasses, chloroplasts are found only in the leaves. This allows seagrass blades to remain flexible to bend and move with the force of currents and waves.
Why is seagrass important to coral reefs?
Seagrasses are efficient at removing dissolved nutrients from waters that often enter coastal waters as a result of runoff from the land. The removal of sediments and nutrients from the water results in high water clarity and nutrient-poor waters required for the survival of coral reefs.
How do seagrass help prevent shoreline erosion?
Seagrasses reduce erosion of the coast and protect our houses and cities from both the force of the sea and from sea-level rise caused by global warming. Seagrasses do this by softening the force of the waves with their leaves, and helping sediment transported in the seawater to accumulate on the seafloor.
How much carbon do salt marshes sequester?
Salt marsh: 917 Mg CO2e/ha.
Why does seagrass absorb carbon dioxide?
Animals release carbon in the form of CO2 when they breathe, while plants take in that gas along with sunshine to produce energy, a process called photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide also dissolves in seawater, where it is absorbed by seagrasses and algae.
Why are the shallow seas vitally important in the fight against climate change?
Coastal seas are vitally important in the fight against climate change. Seagrass absorbs 35 times as much carbon dioxide as the same area of rain forest. This helps reduce some of the greenhouse gases that warm the oceans. Coastal ecosystems can recover, if given the time and opportunity.