Capturing Ireland’s blue carbon potential
The Marine Institute is launching a funding call for a major programme of research in the area of blue carbon – identified as a way in which marine and coastal ecosystems can reduce the impacts of climate change by absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.
Funding of up to €1.6m has been earmarked to support a large-scale research product that will run to 2026.
Launched in June 2020, Ireland’s Programme for Government recognised the ‘enormous Blue Carbon potential that the ocean has to offer in tacking climate change’.
The government tasked the Marine Institute with a collaborative research initiative, aimed at investigating the climate-change mitigation potential of blue carbon, and to work towards creating an inventory that will assist the EU to meet Ireland’s climate-change objectives.
In preparing the ground for the research programme, the Marine Institute commissioned a synthesis report to review knowledge on blue carbon habitats and their role as carbon sinks in Ireland.
Carbon sequestration – the long-term capture and storage of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – can take place through natural processes from photosynthesis to sediment trapping, where carbon based sediments from the tide are physically trapped by vegetation.
Through the process of waterlogging, carbon release back into the atmosphere is prevented and it is stored long-term.
The report, ‘Blue Carbon and Marine Carbon Sequestration in Irish Waters and Coastal Habitats‘ was published in May.
“Blue carbon refers to carbon [that] is stored, or sequestered, in the ocean and in vegetated habitats around coastal regions,” remarked Dr Grace Cott, lead author and Assistant Professor (UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science.
“In terms of blue carbon, which we can actively manage, what we are really referring to is the vegetation in coastal regions, and that means three main habitats: firstly mangrove forests, which we don’t have in Ireland and are mostly found in tropical regions – secondly, salt-march habitats and finally, seagrass meadows.”
The report notes that Ireland’s tidally influenced coastal wetlands comprise approximately 160 square kilometres of salt-marsh and seagrass beds. Globally, although these habitats represent a much smaller area than terrestrial forests, their total contribution to long-term storage is comparable to carbon sinks in tropical forests.
According to Dr Cott, Ireland’s salt marshes are up to ten times more efficient than agricultural grasslands at storing carbon on a per-area basis:
“This is mainly due to the lack of microbial decomposition in these wet regions, which inland causes the release of carbon from the soil as carbon dioxide.”
Supporting blue carbon
Loss and destruction of vegetated coastal ecosystems threatens their ability to function as long-term carbon sinks, and mismanagement can lead to the release of stored carbon back into the atmosphere.
“But there is hope in the management of these resources,” Dr Cott adds.
“Even though researchers need to conduct further research… we are already becoming aware of certain strategies [that] can help preserve our blue carbon habitats around the Irish coast. It is also beneficial to allow salt marshes to migrate inland.
“So, as sea levels rise, if these habitats can migrate inland, that’s a positive aspect in terms of carbon sequestration and coastal protection. One potential issue is in the building of sea walls as these can actually restrict the migration of the marsh inland.”
This focus on research is presented as part of the Marine Institute’s four week Oceans of Learning campaign, which includes a podcast series, videos and short films, news and online resources about the ocean.
