By Michon Scott AND Rebecca Lindsey Reviewed By Zac Cannizzo, Janine Harris, Veronica Lance, AND Alec Shub
NOAA
Published September 29, 2022
Blue carbon refers to carbon dioxide that is absorbed from the atmosphere and stored in the ocean. “Blue” refers to the watery nature of this storage.
The vast majority of blue carbon is carbon dioxide that has dissolved directly into the ocean. Much smaller amounts are stored in underwater sediments, coastal vegetation and soils; carbon-containing molecules, such as DNA and proteins; and ocean life from whales to phytoplankton.
International agreements aimed at curbing climate change have focused growing attention on coastal blue carbon: carbon stored by saltwater ecosystems in their vegetation and soils. In terms of total area, these ecosystems—salt marshes, mangroves, seagrass meadows—have a small global footprint, but their deep, water-logged soils can bury many times more carbon per acre than even a tropical rainforest.
Link to NOAA article:
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/understanding-blue-carbon