Variability and vulnerability of coastal ‘blue carbon’ stocks: a case study from Southeast Australia Ewers Lewis, Carolyn J., Carnell, Paul E., Sanderman, Jonathan, Baldock, Jeffrey A. and Macreadie, Peter I. 2017, Variability and vulnerability of coastal ‘blue carbon’ stocks: a case study from Southeast Australia, Ecosystems, pp. 1-17, doi: 10.1007/s10021-017-0150-z. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title Variability and vulnerability of coastal ‘blue carbon’ stocks: a case study from Southeast Australia Author(s) Ewers Lewis, Carolyn J. Carnell, Paul E. orcid.org/0000-0001-6747-1366 Sanderman, Jonathan Baldock, Jeffrey A. Macreadie, Peter I. orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-0882 Journal name Ecosystems Start page 1 End page 17 Total pages 17 Publisher Springer Science + Business Media Place of publication New York, N.Y. Publication date 2017-04-25 ISSN 1432-9840 1435-0629 Keyword(s) blue carbon soil carbon tidal marsh saltmarsh seagrass climate change Summary ‘Blue carbon’ ecosystems—seagrasses, tidal marshes, and mangroves—serve as dense carbon sinks important for reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, yet only recently have stock estimates emerged. We sampled 96 blue carbon ecosystems across the Victorian coastline (southeast Australia) to quantify total sediment stocks, variability across spatial scales, and estimate emissions associated with historical ecosystem loss. Mean sediment organic carbon (Corg) stock (±SE) to a depth of 30 cm was not significantly different between tidal marshes (87.1 ± 4.90 Mg Corg ha−1) and mangroves (65.6 ± 4.17 Mg Corg ha−1), but was significantly lower in seagrasses (24.3 ± 1.82 Mg Corg ha−1). Location (defined as an individual meadow, marsh, or forest) had a stronger relationship with Corg stock than catchment region, suggesting local-scale conditions drive variability of stocks more than regional-scale processes. We estimate over 2.90 million ± 199,000 Mg Corg in the top 30 cm of blue carbon sediments in Victoria (53% in tidal marshes, 36% in seagrasses, and 11% in mangroves) and sequestration rates of 22,700 ± 5510 Mg Corg year−1 (valued at over $AUD1 million ± 245,000 year−1 based on the average price of $AUD12.14 Mg CO2 eq−1 at Australian Emissions Reduction Fund auctions). We estimate ecosystem loss since European settlement may equate to emissions as high as 4.83 million ± 358,000 Mg CO2 equivalents (assuming 90% remineralization of stocks), 98% of which was associated with tidal marsh loss, and what would have been sequestering 9360 ± 2500 Mg Corg year−1. This study is among the first to present a comprehensive comparison of sediment stocks across and within coastal blue carbon ecosystems. We estimate substantial and valuable carbon stocks associated with these ecosystems that have suffered considerable losses in the past and need protection into the future to maintain their role as carbon sinks. Notes In Press Language eng DOI 10.1007/s10021-017-0150-z Field of Research 050101 Ecological Impacts of Climate Change 050301 Carbon Sequestration Science 060701 Phycology (incl Marine Grasses) 05 Environmental Sciences 06 Biological Sciences Socio Economic Objective 970105 Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal ERA Research output type C Journal article Copyright notice ©2017, Springer Science + Business Media Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30095972 Document type: Journal Article Collections: School of Life and Environmental Sciences Centre for Integrative Ecology Related Links Link Description Connect to in press version Go to link with your DU access privileges   Connect to Elements publication management system Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Thu, 11 May 2017, 21:03:56 EST Fri, 12 May 2017, 05:09:58 EST Thu, 25 May 2017, 06:06:05 EST Mon, 29 May 2017, 13:01:21 EST Mon, 29 May 2017, 13:04:39 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 0 times in TR Web of Science Cited 0 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 20 Abstract Views, 1 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Thu, 11 May 2017, 21:03:56 EST

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