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Seagrass Meadows Sequester Carbon 35x Faster Than Tropical Rainforests per Hectare

Fourqurean J, Duarte C, Kennedy H

Summary

PubMed

Seagrass locks away carbon 35x faster than rainforest per hectare, and warming waters are actually boosting its capacity.

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Key Findings

1

174 g C/m2/year burial rate

2

35x tropical forest per-area rate

3

15% increase under warming

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Original Abstract

A global meta-analysis of 127 Posidonia oceanica meadows reveals carbon burial rates of 174 g C/m2/year, 35x the per-area rate of tropical forests. Meadows in warming Mediterranean waters showed 15% higher sequestration, contradicting predictions of heat-driven decline.

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This connects to 7 other discoveries — 1 species, 4 topics, 2 related articles

Species Mentioned

Posidonia oceanica

Posidonia oceanica, commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed, is a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem. The fruit is free floating and known in Italy as "the olive of the sea". Ba...

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