Role of carbonate burial in Blue Carbon budgets

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08842-6
• Publication Date: 2019-03-07T11:04:07Z
• Authors: V. Saderne; N. R. Geraldi; P. I. Macreadie; D. T. Maher; J. J. Middelburg; O. Serrano; H. Almahasheer; A. Arias-Ortiz; M. Cusack; B. D. Eyre; J. W. Fourqurean; H. Kennedy; D. Krause-Jensen; T. Kuwae; P. S. Lavery; C. E. Lovelock; N. Marba; P. Masqué; M. A. Mateo; I. Mazarrasa; K. J. McGlathery; M. P. J. Oreska; C. J. Sanders; I. R. Santos; J. M. Smoak; T. Tanaya; K. Watanabe; C. M. Duarte
• Keywords: Blue carbon; Carbon sink; Marine ecosystem; Sink (geography)

Abstract Calcium carbonates (CaCO 3 ) often accumulate in mangrove and seagrass sediments. As CaCO production emits CO 2 , there is concern that this may partially offset the role of Blue Carbon ecosystems as sinks through burial organic carbon (C org ). A global collection data on inorganic rates inorg 12% mass) revealed 0.8 TgC yr −1 15–62 ecosystems, respectively. In seagrass, correspond to an 30% net sequestration. However, a mass balance assessment highlights C mainly supported by inputs from adjacent rather than local calcification, are sites dissolution. Hence, contribute seabed elevation therefore buffers sea-level rise, without undermining their sinks.