The role of coastal plant communities for climate change mitigation and adaptation

• Published in: Nature climate change Vol. 3; no. 11; pp. 961 - 968
• Main Authors: Duarte, Carlos M., Losada, Iñigo J., Hendriks, Iris E., Mazarrasa, Inés, Marbà, Núria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-11-2013; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/158; Algae; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon dioxide; Climate Change; Climate change mitigation; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change; Coastal zone management; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Earth, ocean, space; Environment; Environment and sustainable development; Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration; Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice; Environmental protection; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Mangroves; Marine; Marine sediments; Meteorology; Ocean floor; Plant communities; review-article; Sea level rise; Wave action; Wave energy; environment protection; brackish-water environment; Flood control; adaptation; Carbon sequestration; littoral erosion; sustainable development; Mitigation; coastal zone; marine environment; Air biosphere interaction; ecosystems; Erosion control; Ecosystem services; climate change
• ISSN: 1758-678X; 1758-6798
• DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1970

Marine vegetated habitats occupy a small fraction of the ocean surface, but contribute about 50% of the carbon that is buried in marine sediments. In this Review the potential benefits of conservation, restoration and use of these habitats for coastal protection and climate change mitigation are assessed.
Marine vegetated habitats (seagrasses, salt-marshes, macroalgae and mangroves) occupy 0.2% of the ocean surface, but contribute 50% of carbon burial in marine sediments. Their canopies dissipate wave energy and high burial rates raise the seafloor, buffering the impacts of rising sea level and wave action that are associated with climate change. The loss of a third of the global cover of these ecosystems involves a loss of CO
2
sinks and the emission of 1 Pg CO
2
annually. The conservation, restoration and use of vegetated coastal habitats in eco-engineering solutions for coastal protection provide a promising strategy, delivering significant capacity for climate change mitigation and adaption.