1.
Phil Colarusso
US EPA

2.
Blue Carbon
 Carbon that is associated with salt marsh, seagrass or
mangroves
 Species in these groups have high growth rates and
thus can absorb large quantities of CO2
 Carbon is sequestered in the sediments/soil for as long
as the habitat stays intact

3.
Annual Carbon Sequestration Rates
 Mangroves: 0.13 to 24 Mg CO2e/ha/yr
 Salt Marsh: 0.01 to 63 Mg CO2e/ha/yr
 Seagrass: -76 to 85 Mg CO2e/ha/yr
 Tropical forests: -20.02 to 8 Mg CO2e/ha/yr

4.
Importance of Seagrass
 Seagrass meadows are estimated to occupy less than
0.2% of the area of the world’s oceans, but account for
about 20% of the sequestered carbon on an annual
basis

5.
Loss/degradation of Coastal
Wetlands
 Mangroves
 Globally losing 0.66%/yr
 Greatest losses are in Asia
 Salt Marsh
 Data in many geographic areas is scarce
 Globally estimated to be 1 to 2%/yr
 Seagrass
 Globally 1-3%/yr

6.
Putting the losses in context
 Emissions that result from conversion and degradation
of coastal wetlands estimated to be between 300 to
900 million tons CO2e
 Roughly equivalent to the annual emissions from
energy and industry sectors for Poland and Germany

7.
Seagrass stressors
 Reductions in water clarity/eutrophication
 Piers/wharfs/moorings
 Dredging
 Invasive species
 Trawling/shellfishing

8.
What you can do
 Reduce nitrogen
 Cut fertilizer use
 Eat lower on the food chain
 Mass transit/increased fuel efficiency
 Limit/reduce impervious surface
 Avoid farmed shrimp
 Be a responsible boater

9.
Conserve
the Blue
Carbon for
me!