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The Blue Carbon
Concept
“Blue Carbon” refers to the ability of coastal
and marine vegetation to sequester and store
carbon. Blue Carbon ecosystems typically
including mangrove forests, salt marshes,
and seagrass beds, sequester atmospheric
carbon and store it in both their biomass
and sediments. When these ecosystems are
destroyed, buried carbon can be released
into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO
2
),
contributing to climate change and ocean
acidification. Understanding Blue Carbon
resources can therefore help determine the
extent to which these ecosystems can help
contribute to mitigate this.
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