[Seminar] The role of coastal ocean processes in the global carbon cycle: Land Ocean Carbon fluxes and Blue Carbon Burial
CREATE Theatrette CREATE Tower level 2, 1 CREATE Way, University Town, NUS, Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeFossil fuel combustion and changes in patterns of land usage are together adding approximately 10 GT C yr-1 to the atmosphere, of which about half remains in the atmosphere contributing to global warming with the remaining half being taken up by the terrestrial biosphere and the oceans in approximately equal amounts. This major perturbation to the global carbon cycle is set against a much larger natural carbon cycle which our research focus is beginning to turn to understanding. Two key terms are the flux of carbon from terrestrial systems into inland waterways, estimated by the IPCC to be around 1-2 GT C yr-1 and the burial of ‘blue carbon’ in coastal systems such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass beds.