The green meadow of
Posidonia underwater that exist close to coastlines, and are seriously damaged
by polluting discharges, trawling and pleasure craft facilities, are capable of
capturing and storing carbon twice the lush tropical forests. A study of
seagrass, thousand around the world has shown that under the sea there are
'sinks' that help fight climate change.
The work has been
developed by a team of scientists from several countries, including experts
from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and has been published in the
journal Nature Geoscience. "
"It is very
important because these grasslands have now acquired, as well as ecological
value, another economic value in the form of carbon credits. Spain now has to
buy these credits because their emissions are higher than they should. Keeping
these meadows could prevent that expense, "said Miguel Angel Mateo, one of
the authors, the Center for Advanced Studies (CSIC) to ELMUNDO.es.
Research is the first
of its kind to be based on direct data collection. In total, the scientists
collected a total of 3,640 samples of 946 subsurface seagrass around the planet
and all species. "These plants, through photosynthesis, carbon trap water
and fix and buried for centuries. We, boats, we have taken samples to a meter
deep and we have analyzed the carbon that is accumulated," says the
researcher.
Pollution
of one year
The work reveals that
all grasslands accumulate between 4,200 and 8,400 million tons of carbon just
one meter below these parderas, with a peak of 20,000 million tones. These
8,400 million CO2 we emit is what all human beings over one year, according to
the scientist.
These figures mean that
the plants that surround the coastline can reach up to 830 tons bury carbon per
hectare, while tropical forests, the so-called 'lungs' of the planet, have a
storage capacity of 300 tons per hectare. Matthew notes that even these aquatic
plants could 'sequester' more carbon, as one meter have only deepened.
Thus, scientists warn of
the delicate situation being experienced by these meadows around the globe.
Some studies estimate that more than a quarter of its length has already been
destroyed (other increase that percentage to 50%) due to trawling and
uncontrolled construction costs.
The CSIC oceanagrado
Carlos Duarte said in a statement insists on its importance in the fight
against climate change: "The great capacity of grasslands as sinks is that
this ecosystem more fixed carbon than eat or breathe. Unlike of forest soils,
sediment in the seagrass accumulates vertically as sea level rises and
therefore can increase their volume over centuries and millennia. The absence
of fire at sea also contributes to these carbon sinks persist "he says.
Useful
'Enterradoras'
The researchers point
out that although the grasslands occupy less than 0.2% of the ocean surface,
are the 'enterradoras' of more than 10% of all annual carbon absorbed by the
oceans and making it indefinitely.
Interestingly, one of
the species that are able to accumulate more carbon is the Mediterranean
Posidonia, which have detected carbon deposit thickness of up to four meters.
However, it is one that covers a greater danger because of the high level of
destruction on the coast.
"Every year we
lose 5% of Posidonia and the problem is not just that we lose deposits of
carbon sequestration, but the space occupied by the plant is converted into
carbon emitter, because it starts out all carbon had accumulated and passed to
the atmosphere, "says Matthew.
The researcher points
out that currently buy a ton sinks for carbon costs six euro’s, although it has
come to be 30 euro’s. "For a country, preserve its seagrass is to have an
important economic asset," he argues.
On the other hand, is
not known with precision the amount of grasslands on the planet. It is
estimated that all marine plants ranging between 330,000 and 600,000 sq km, but
estimates are unacceptably.
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