Life Sciences Commons^™

Seagrass Recovery Following Marine Heat Wave Influences Sediment Carbon Stocks, Lillian R. Aoki, Karen J. Mcglathery, Patricia L. Wiberg, Matthew P. J. Oreska, Amelie C. Berger, Peter Berg, Robert J. Orth

VIMS Articles

Worldwide, seagrass meadows accumulate significant stocks of organic carbon (C),known as “blue” carbon, which can remain buried for decades to centuries. However,when seagrass meadows are disturbed, these C stocks may be remineralized, leading to significant CO2 emissions. Increasing ocean temperatures, and increasing frequency and severity of heat waves, threaten seagrass meadows and their sediment blue C. To date, no study has directly measured the impact of seagrass declines from high temperatures on sediment C stocks. Here, we use a long-term record of sediment C stocks from a 7-km2, restored eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadow to show that seagrass dieback following a …