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Oceanic Blue Carbon
- 1. Oceanic Blue Carbon GOC High Seas Symposium, 12 - 13 November 2015, Somerville College, Oxford Doug Perrine
- 2. GabrielBarathieu Chris Pincetich-Marine Photobank Øystein Paulsen - MAR-ECO KeithEllenbogenOceana Oceanic Blue Carbon explores a potential connection between marine conservation and climate change, with broad global relevance: the conservation and restoration of the marine environment – including populations of sea turtles, whales, krill and tuna – as part of the solution to the global climate challenge.
- 3. The concept was supported by three publications from late 2014.
- 4. The GOC report estimated amount and value of the biological carbon- sequestering activity provided by the high seas to be: • Almost half a billion tonnes of carbon per year • Valued between USD $74 billion to $222 billion per year AllenShimadaNOA So what we are exploring now is understanding the concept and refining that value.
- 5. LutzandMartin2014 For example, eight natural carbon pathways, pumps and trophic cascades associated with marine vertebrates have been identified.
- 6. LutzandMartin2014 The primary apparatus used in carbon flux research the sediment trap, which sits on the sea bed & collects particles that drift to the ocean floor. One possible reason that marine organisms beside plankton have largely been excluded from carbon cycling models. Does not capture the movement of carbon associated with marine organisms, including deposition via faecal events and sinking carcasses.
- 7. Heithaus et al. 2014 1. Trophic Cascade Carbon E.g. natural predation by sharks controls sea turtle populations, whose grazing behaviour maintains optimal carbon function of seagrass meadows. Food web dynamics help to maintain carbon storage & sequestration by coastal ecosystems. Disruption of marine vertebrate populations impacts natural cycles; where this includes the role of marine ecosystems it can reduce the oceans capacity to capture & store carbon.
- 8. 2. Biomixing carbon Keith Ellenbogen, Oceana Turbulence & drag associated with movement of marine animals mixes nutrient rich water from deep to surface waters, enhancing primary production by phytoplankton & thus uptake of atmospheric CO2. This mechanism has been reported for all sizes of marine including krill and whales.
- 9. 3. Bony fish carbonate Wilsonetal.2009 As a by-product of their metabolism, bony fish secrete calcium carbonate, which is alkaline. Restoration of bony fish populations can potentially help to buffer against increased acidity of the ocean and protect some of the organisms that are susceptible to ocean acidification.
- 10. Tony Wu4. Whale Pump Some whales excrete nutrient rich, flocculent faecal plumes. These can fertilize surface waters & nutrient-limited oceans to stimulate primary production by phytoplankton, thus uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide into oceans.
- 11. 5. Twilight Zone Carbon SwedishMuseumofNaturalHistory Deep water (twilight zone) fish feed on organisms in the upper ocean & transport consumed organic carbon to deeper waters, where it is stored in biomass or released as fish poop.
- 12. Amount and value of carbon sequestration by twilight zone fish off the UK-Irish continental slope, from Trueman et al.: • Over 1 million tonnes of carbon per year • Between USD $12.4 and $21.8 million per year Trueman et al. 2014 NOAA NOAANOAA NOAA
- 13. 6. Biomass Carbon and 7. Deadfall Carbon Denis Hawkins © 2007 MBARI Marine vertebrates store carbon as biomass with larger individuals storing proportionally greater amounts over prolonged lifespans. The carcasses of marine vertebrates sink, exporting carbon to the ocean floor, entering benthic food webs and sometimes sediments.
- 14. 8. Marine Vertebrate Mediated CarbonCatlin Seaview Survey Marine vertebrates transfer organic carbon through marine food webs and transport it to deep waters via rapidly sinking faecal material Carbon particles associated with fish, e.g. tuna, are orders of magnitude larger than those associated with plankton, & can rapidly sink to depth, providing an efficient mechanism to export carbon from surface waters.
- 15. WWF2015 What is the biological-carbon sequestration value of a living ocean versus a depleted one?
- 16. Gap analysis and targeted research needed to advance scientific, policy and economic understanding NOAA
- 17. DonaldLeRoiNOAA What is the total significance & do we have the ability to value it?
- 18. PeterProkosch We also think it is important to keep a connection to the other ocean ecosystem values vital for coastal communities: • Sustainable development • Food security • Connections to EEZs
- 19. RebeccaWeeks-MarinePhotobank Fish Carbon report: www.grida.no/publications/fish-carbon Follow on twitter: #FishCarbon Steven Lutz GRID-Arendal steven.lutz@grida.no Angela Martin Blue Climate Solutions angela.martin@bluecsolutions.org Thank you! Questions?
Editor's Notes
- Hello there, my name is Steven Lutz and i represent GRID-Arendal, a Norwegian foundation and a centre collaborating with the United Nations Environment Programme. I’m going to talk about Oceanic Blue Carbon, a concept which explores the role of living marine life - marine vertebrates and invertebrates - in the global climate challenge.
- The concept was supported by three publications from late last year; the ‘Fish Carbon - Exploring Marine Vertebrate carbon Services’ report produced by GRID-Arendal and Blue Climate Solutions, the ‘The Significance and Management of Natural Carbon Stores in the Open Ocean’ report produced by the IUCN and the ‘The High Seas and US’ produced by the GOC.
- The concept explores a potential connection between marine conservation and climate change, with broad global relevance: the conservation and restoration of the marine environment – including populations of sea turtles, whales, krill and tuna – as part of the solution to the global climate challenge.
- As you know that the value of the carbon-sequestering activity provided by the life in the high seas to be worth from USD $74 billion to $222 billion annually. So what we are exploring now is the understanding the concept and refining that value.
- Define Fish Carbon Sediment trap
- For example, eight mechanisms have been identified where marine vertebrates have roles to play in mitigating the effects of global carbon pollution via natural carbon pathways, pumps and trophic cascades. Define Fish Carbon Sediment trap
- Our first example is Trophic Cascade Carbon. This mechanism highlights how food web dynamics help maintain the carbon storage and sequestration function of coastal Blue Carbon ecosystems. The natural predation of sharks helps maintain healthy populations of sea turtles which in turn helps maintain optimal carbon function of seagrass meadows through grazing behaviour. However if sharks are overfish it potentially upsets nature’s balance including the role of seagrasses in fixing and storing carbon.
- Biomixing Carbon describes how turbulence and drag mixes nutrient rich water from deep to surface waters, enhancing primary production by phytoplankton and thus the uptake of dissolved CO2 This mechanism has been reported for all sizes of marine including krill and whales.
- Research into this mechanism has estimated that the value of carbon sequestration of bentho-pelagic fish of the UK continental slope to be between USD $12.4 and 21.8 million annually.
- What we don’t know, or what is needed to advance our understanding of Oceanic Blue Carbon, includes gap analysis and targeted research projects that will advance scientific, policy, economic understanding of the concept.
- Key questions include what is the total significance of Oceanic Blue Carbon and do we have the ability to value it?
- We also think it is important to keep a connection to the other ocean ecosystem values vital for coastal communities such as sustainable development and food security and to acknowledge the connections to EEZs.
- If you are interested in learning more about the concept, please contact me, Steven or Angela, through the details shown here, or come speak to us after. We also have Fish Carbon flyers and reports available. You can also follow the development of this concept on twitter thought the fish carbon hashtag and graphics and diagrams are available. Thank you.
- For discussion