Beach-cast seagrass wrack contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions
Seagrass ecosystems have received a great deal of attention recently for their ability to capture and store carbon, thereby helping to mitigate climate change. However, their carbon-sink capacity could be offset somewhat if exported plant material - which accounts for ∼90% of total leaf production -...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
2019
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30115137 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Beach-cast_seagrass_wrack_contributes_substantially_to_global_greenhouse_gas_emissions/20787925 |
id |
ftdeakinunifig:oai:figshare.com:article/20787925 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdeakinunifig:oai:figshare.com:article/20787925 2024-06-23T07:46:03+00:00 Beach-cast seagrass wrack contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions S Liu Stacey Trevathan-Tackett CJ Ewers Lewis QR Ollivier Z Jiang X Huang Peter Macreadie 2019-02-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30115137 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Beach-cast_seagrass_wrack_contributes_substantially_to_global_greenhouse_gas_emissions/20787925 unknown http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30115137 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Beach-cast_seagrass_wrack_contributes_substantially_to_global_greenhouse_gas_emissions/20787925 All Rights Reserved Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences & Ecology Seagrass wrack Decomposition Moisture Carbon dioxide Flux Shoreline management ANTARCTICA LABILL SONDER DISSOLVED ORGANIC-CARBON EELGRASS ZOSTERA-MARINA AUSTRALIS HOOK F DETRITAL LEAVES SHARK BAY LITTER BIOMASS COMMUNITIES MD Multidisciplinary 3103 Ecology Text Journal contribution 2019 ftdeakinunifig 2024-06-13T00:15:55Z Seagrass ecosystems have received a great deal of attention recently for their ability to capture and store carbon, thereby helping to mitigate climate change. However, their carbon-sink capacity could be offset somewhat if exported plant material - which accounts for ∼90% of total leaf production - undergoes microbial breakdown and is emitted into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. Here we measured emissions (CO2 and CH4) from the breakdown of exported seagrass plant material, focusing on beach-cast 'wrack'. We tested two seagrass species; Zostera nigricaulis and Amphibolis antarctica, which have contrasting morphologies and chemistries. We found that both species of wrack were substantial sources of CO2, but not CH4, during the decomposition process. Biomass loss and the coinciding CO2 emissions occurred over the 30-day experiment, and the pattern of CO2 emissions over this time followed a double exponential model (R2 > 0.92). The initial flux rate was relatively high, most likely due to rapid leaching of labile compounds, then decreased substantially within the 2-9 days, and stabilizing at < 3 μmol g-1 d-1 during the remaining decomposition period. Additionally, seagrass wrack cast high up on beaches that remained dry had 72% lower emissions than wrack that was subjected to repeated wetting in the intertidal zone. This implies that relocation of seagrass wrack by coastal resource managers (e.g. from water's edge to drier dune areas) could help to reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions. Scaling up, we estimate the annual CO2-C flux from seagrass wrack globally is between 1.31 and 19.04 Tg C yr-1, which is equivalent to annual emissions of 0.63-9.19 million Chinese citizens. With climate change and increasing coastal development expected to accelerate the rate of wrack accumulation on beaches, this study provides timely information for developing coastal carbon budgets. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica DRO - Deakin Research Online |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
DRO - Deakin Research Online |
op_collection_id |
ftdeakinunifig |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences & Ecology Seagrass wrack Decomposition Moisture Carbon dioxide Flux Shoreline management ANTARCTICA LABILL SONDER DISSOLVED ORGANIC-CARBON EELGRASS ZOSTERA-MARINA AUSTRALIS HOOK F DETRITAL LEAVES SHARK BAY LITTER BIOMASS COMMUNITIES MD Multidisciplinary 3103 Ecology |
spellingShingle |
Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences & Ecology Seagrass wrack Decomposition Moisture Carbon dioxide Flux Shoreline management ANTARCTICA LABILL SONDER DISSOLVED ORGANIC-CARBON EELGRASS ZOSTERA-MARINA AUSTRALIS HOOK F DETRITAL LEAVES SHARK BAY LITTER BIOMASS COMMUNITIES MD Multidisciplinary 3103 Ecology S Liu Stacey Trevathan-Tackett CJ Ewers Lewis QR Ollivier Z Jiang X Huang Peter Macreadie Beach-cast seagrass wrack contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions |
topic_facet |
Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences & Ecology Seagrass wrack Decomposition Moisture Carbon dioxide Flux Shoreline management ANTARCTICA LABILL SONDER DISSOLVED ORGANIC-CARBON EELGRASS ZOSTERA-MARINA AUSTRALIS HOOK F DETRITAL LEAVES SHARK BAY LITTER BIOMASS COMMUNITIES MD Multidisciplinary 3103 Ecology |
description |
Seagrass ecosystems have received a great deal of attention recently for their ability to capture and store carbon, thereby helping to mitigate climate change. However, their carbon-sink capacity could be offset somewhat if exported plant material - which accounts for ∼90% of total leaf production - undergoes microbial breakdown and is emitted into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. Here we measured emissions (CO2 and CH4) from the breakdown of exported seagrass plant material, focusing on beach-cast 'wrack'. We tested two seagrass species; Zostera nigricaulis and Amphibolis antarctica, which have contrasting morphologies and chemistries. We found that both species of wrack were substantial sources of CO2, but not CH4, during the decomposition process. Biomass loss and the coinciding CO2 emissions occurred over the 30-day experiment, and the pattern of CO2 emissions over this time followed a double exponential model (R2 > 0.92). The initial flux rate was relatively high, most likely due to rapid leaching of labile compounds, then decreased substantially within the 2-9 days, and stabilizing at < 3 μmol g-1 d-1 during the remaining decomposition period. Additionally, seagrass wrack cast high up on beaches that remained dry had 72% lower emissions than wrack that was subjected to repeated wetting in the intertidal zone. This implies that relocation of seagrass wrack by coastal resource managers (e.g. from water's edge to drier dune areas) could help to reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions. Scaling up, we estimate the annual CO2-C flux from seagrass wrack globally is between 1.31 and 19.04 Tg C yr-1, which is equivalent to annual emissions of 0.63-9.19 million Chinese citizens. With climate change and increasing coastal development expected to accelerate the rate of wrack accumulation on beaches, this study provides timely information for developing coastal carbon budgets. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
S Liu Stacey Trevathan-Tackett CJ Ewers Lewis QR Ollivier Z Jiang X Huang Peter Macreadie |
author_facet |
S Liu Stacey Trevathan-Tackett CJ Ewers Lewis QR Ollivier Z Jiang X Huang Peter Macreadie |
author_sort |
S Liu |
title |
Beach-cast seagrass wrack contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions |
title_short |
Beach-cast seagrass wrack contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions |
title_full |
Beach-cast seagrass wrack contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions |
title_fullStr |
Beach-cast seagrass wrack contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Beach-cast seagrass wrack contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions |
title_sort |
beach-cast seagrass wrack contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30115137 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Beach-cast_seagrass_wrack_contributes_substantially_to_global_greenhouse_gas_emissions/20787925 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30115137 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Beach-cast_seagrass_wrack_contributes_substantially_to_global_greenhouse_gas_emissions/20787925 |
op_rights |
All Rights Reserved |
_version_ |
1802643672233148416 |