Project title
Understanding carbon flow in the seascape for quantification of Blue Carbon sequestration and storage services: an Orkney Islands case study
Project abstract
In response to the climate emergency, there is a global movement to manage carbon stocks through active and passive restoration of habitats which capture atmospheric CO₂, known as ‘blue carbon habitats’. This PhD project aims to advance blue carbon inventories by quantifying carbon stocks in habitat mosaics—areas where seagrass, kelp and maerl grow together—and by estimating carbon flow pathways between carbon sources and sinks, to understand how habitat connectivity can maximise carbon storage capacity and its protection in a region. Focussing on seagrass, kelp and maerl habitats—growing homogenously and as mosaics—sediment cores and vegetative samples will be collected by scuba diving to quantify the magnitude, sources, stability and permanence of carbon stocks across the Orkney Islands. The results generated will provide valuable evidence which can be used by decision makers to inform policy and management, by providing data which clearly identifies the habitat types which best promote long-term carbon sequestration.