Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

Volume

15

Issue

5

Publisher

Wiley Blackwell

Publication Date

2017

Keywords

blue carbon, carbon dioxide, organic carbon, degraded soils

First Page

257

Last Page

265

Abstract

“Blue carbon” ecosystems, which include tidal marshes, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows, have large stocks of organic carbon (Corg) in their soils. These carbon stocks are vulnerable to decomposition and – if degraded – can be released to the atmosphere in the form of CO2. We present a framework to help assess the relative risk of CO2 emissions from degraded soils, thereby supporting inclusion of soil Corg into blue carbon projects and establishing a means to prioritize management for their carbon values. Assessing the risk of CO2 emissions after various kinds of disturbances can be accomplished through knowledge of both the size of the soil Corg stock at a site and the likelihood that the soil Corg will decompose to CO2.

Comments

Copyright by the Ecological Society of America

Provider: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd Content:text/plain; charset="UTF-8" TY - JOUR AU - Lovelock, Catherine E AU - Atwood, Trisha AU - Baldock, Jeff AU - Duarte, Carlos M AU - Hickey, Sharyn AU - Lavery, Paul S AU - Masque, Pere AU - Macreadie, Peter I AU - Ricart, Aurora M AU - Serrano, Oscar AU - Steven, Andy TI - Assessing the risk of carbon dioxide emissions from blue carbon ecosystems JO - Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment JA - Front Ecol Environ VL - 15 IS - 5 SN - 1540-9309 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fee.1491 DO - 10.1002/fee.1491 SP - 257 EP - 265 PY - 2017 ER -

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