The sediment carbon stocks of intertidal seagrass meadows in Scotland

Potouroglou, M., Whitlock, D., Milatovic, L., MacKinnon, G. , Kennedy, H., Diele, K. and Huxham, M. (2021) The sediment carbon stocks of intertidal seagrass meadows in Scotland. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 258, 107442. (doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107442)

Abstract

Seagrasses are highly productive ecosystems and hotspots for biodiversity, providing a plethora of benefits to the environment and to people. Their value in sequestering and storing carbon is increasingly being recognised, as the world searches for ways to mitigate the effects and slow the pace of climate change. However, many uncertainties remain, with basic information such as average carbon stocks, variability and species-specific differences missing for many regions. This study evaluates, for the first time, the carbon storage capacity of Zostera noltii and Zostera marina from intertidal seagrass meadows in Scotland. Sediment carbon stocks in the top 50 cm from vegetated and reference unvegetated plots were quantified at 10 estuaries distributed along the Scottish east and west coasts. The organic carbon stocks in the top 50 cm of the seagrass sediment ranged from a minimum of 14.94 Mg C ha−1 at the Moray Firth to a maximum of 105.72 Mg C ha−1 at the Firth of Forth, with a mean (±SD) of 54.79 ± 35.02 Mg C ha−1 across the 10 estuaries sampled. Moreover, seagrass areas showed enhanced carbon storage compared to reference unvegetated ones, however this was highly variable across depth, and among sites and estuaries. This paper addresses key gaps in knowledge concerning the role of intertidal Scottish seagrass meadows as carbon sinks and discusses the implication of this emerging information for their effective management and conservation.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: MP was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council NE/K501207/1. DW was supported by grant GSS56 from Scottish Natural Heritage/the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland. Additional funding was received under the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) Small Grant Scheme (grant reference SG116), and its support is gratefully acknowledged.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: MacKinnon, Dr Gillian
• Authors: Potouroglou, M., Whitlock, D., Milatovic, L., MacKinnon, G., Kennedy, H., Diele, K., and Huxham, M.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
• Journal Name: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0272-7714
• ISSN (Online): 1096-0015
• Published Online: 05 June 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd.
• First Published: First published in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 258: 107442
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy