<
https://www.positive.news/environment/greenland-sheds-new-light-on-underwater-carbon-sink/>
"An international team of scientists has shed new light on how coastal seaweed
forests help lock away planet-warming carbon.
Large seaweeds, known as macroalgae, absorb vast amounts of atmospheric CO₂.
Previous research estimated that between 4m and 44m tonnes of
macroalgae-derived carbon sink each year to depths of up to 200 metres, where
it can remain for at least a century.
Now researchers from Germany, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Denmark and the UK have
tracked 8,000 seaweed rafts growing off southwest Greenland for the first time.
Using satellite imagery, computer modelling and ocean current monitoring
devices, they found that offshore currents can carry seaweed hundreds of
kilometres. As surface waters cool, the floating vegetation is driven below the
surface, where it breaks down and sinks, transporting carbon to the deep ocean.
“Our findings illustrate a tangible oceanic conveyor belt that links thriving
coastal macroalgal forests with the deep ocean’s carbon reservoir,”said Prof
Ana Queirós, marine climate change ecologist and climate change lead at
Plymouth Marine Laboratory. “Recognising these natural transport and mixing
pathways enhances how we understand macroalgae’s vital role in the Earth’s
carbon cycle.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
