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Serrano O, Lovelock CE, B Atwood T, Macreadie PI, Canto R, Phinn S, Arias-Ortiz A, Bai L, Baldock J, Bedulli C, Carnell P, Connolly RM, Donaldson P, Esteban A, Ewers Lewis CJ, Eyre BD, Hayes MA, Horwitz P, Hutley LB, Kavazos CRJ, Kelleway JJ, Kendrick GA, Kilminster K, Lafratta A, Lee S, Lavery PS, Maher DT, Marbà N, Masque P, Mateo MA, Mount R, Ralph PJ, Roelfsema C, Rozaimi M, Ruhon R, Salinas C, Samper-Villarreal J, Sanderman J, J Sanders C, Santos I, Sharples C, Steven ADL, Cannard T, Trevathan-Tackett SM, Duarte CM. Australian vegetated coastal ecosystems as global hotspots for climate change mitigation. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4313. [PMID: 31575872 PMCID: PMC6773740 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12176-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Policies aiming to preserve vegetated coastal ecosystems (VCE; tidal marshes, mangroves and seagrasses) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions require national assessments of blue carbon resources. Here, we present organic carbon (C) storage in VCE across Australian climate regions and estimate potential annual CO2 emission benefits of VCE conservation and restoration. Australia contributes 5–11% of the C stored in VCE globally (70–185 Tg C in aboveground biomass, and 1,055–1,540 Tg C in the upper 1 m of soils). Potential CO2 emissions from current VCE losses are estimated at 2.1–3.1 Tg CO2-e yr-1, increasing annual CO2 emissions from land use change in Australia by 12–21%. This assessment, the most comprehensive for any nation to-date, demonstrates the potential of conservation and restoration of VCE to underpin national policy development for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Policies aiming to preserve vegetated coastal ecosystems (VCE) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions require national assessments of blue carbon resources. Here the authors assessed organic carbon storage in VCE across Australian and the potential annual CO2 emission benefits of VCE conservation and find that Australia contributes substantially the carbon stored in VCE globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Serrano
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
| | - Catherine E Lovelock
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,The Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Trisha B Atwood
- The Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Department of Watershed Sciences and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Peter I Macreadie
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Burwood Campus, Geelong, VIC, 3125, Australia
| | - Robert Canto
- The Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Remote Sensing Research Centre/Joint Remote Sensing Research Program, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Queensland, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Stuart Phinn
- The Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Remote Sensing Research Centre/Joint Remote Sensing Research Program, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Queensland, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Ariane Arias-Ortiz
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals and Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Le Bai
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT, 0810, Australia
| | - Jeff Baldock
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Locked Bag 2, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia
| | - Camila Bedulli
- UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.,Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, 18618-970, Brazil
| | - Paul Carnell
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Burwood Campus, Geelong, VIC, 3125, Australia
| | - Rod M Connolly
- Australian Rivers Institute-Coast and Estuaries, School of Environment andScience, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia
| | | | - Alba Esteban
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Carolyn J Ewers Lewis
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Burwood Campus, Geelong, VIC, 3125, Australia
| | - Bradley D Eyre
- Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, 2480, Australia
| | - Matthew A Hayes
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,The Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Australian Rivers Institute-Coast and Estuaries, School of Environment andScience, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia
| | - Pierre Horwitz
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Lindsay B Hutley
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT, 0810, Australia
| | - Christopher R J Kavazos
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.,School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Jeffrey J Kelleway
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia
| | - Gary A Kendrick
- UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Kieryn Kilminster
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.,Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, Locked Bag 10, Joondalup DC, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Anna Lafratta
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Shing Lee
- Australian Rivers Institute-Coast and Estuaries, School of Environment andScience, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia.,Simon FS Li Marine Science Laboratory, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Paul S Lavery
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.,Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CSIC, 17300, Blanes, Spain
| | - Damien T Maher
- Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, 2480, Australia
| | - Núria Marbà
- Global Change Research Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Miquel Marquès 21, 07190, Esporles, Spain
| | - Pere Masque
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.,Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals and Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.,UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.,School of Physics, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Miguel A Mateo
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.,Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CSIC, 17300, Blanes, Spain
| | - Richard Mount
- Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, School of Technology, Environments and Design, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Peter J Ralph
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Chris Roelfsema
- Remote Sensing Research Centre/Joint Remote Sensing Research Program, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Queensland, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Mohammad Rozaimi
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.,Centre for Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Radhiyah Ruhon
- UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.,Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan Km.10, Tamalanrea, Makassar, 90245, Indonesia
| | - Cristian Salinas
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.,Marine and Coastal Research Institute "José Benito Vives De Andréis" INVEMAR, Calle 25 No. 2-55, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Jimena Samper-Villarreal
- The Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR), Ciudad de la Investigación, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José, 11501-2060, Costa Rica.,Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Jonathan Sanderman
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Locked Bag 2, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.,Woods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, MA, 02540, USA
| | - Christian J Sanders
- National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University, PO Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW, 2450, Australia
| | - Isaac Santos
- National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University, PO Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW, 2450, Australia
| | - Chris Sharples
- Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, School of Technology, Environments and Design, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Andrew D L Steven
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Queensland Biosciences Precinct, 306 Carmody Rd, St. Lucia, QLD, 4067, Australia
| | - Toni Cannard
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Queensland Biosciences Precinct, 306 Carmody Rd, St. Lucia, QLD, 4067, Australia
| | - Stacey M Trevathan-Tackett
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Burwood Campus, Geelong, VIC, 3125, Australia
| | - Carlos M Duarte
- UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.,Red Sea Research Center (RSRC) and Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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