Ah, the underwater world of carbon storage, where sediment disturbance and bottom trawling play a not-so-fun game of cat and mouse. But fear not, for the U.K. and Canada are here to save the day with their “blue carbon” mapping projects, shedding light on the hidden treasures beneath the waves.
In the U.K., the Blue Carbon Mapping Project dove deep and resurfaced with a report revealing that a whopping 244 million metric tons of carbon are chilling in the top 10 cm of the U.K. seabed. Talk about a carbon storage jackpot!
Saltmarshes and seagrass beds are the cool kids in this seabed party, storing carbon like it’s going out of style. Even kelp beds and phytoplankton are throwing in their fair share of organic carbon goodness annually.
Beneath the surface lies a treasure trove of carbon and other organic compounds that have been patiently waiting for their moment to shine, locked away for millennia in the sediment layers.
So, to all the threats out there trying to mess with our carbon-rich seabeds, watch out, because the U.K. and Canada are on a mission to protect and preserve this underwater carbon paradise. Let’s keep those beds cozy and carbon-packed!
Keywords: carbon, U.K., seabed, beds, threats.