Dr. Iris Hendriks (The Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies in Mallorca, Spain - IMEDEA)
Anthropogenic CO2 emissions are rising since the industrial era with dire consequences for the planet, among which climate warming and ocean acidification. Blue Carbon habitats have been promoted as a solution for climate mitigation due to their role as effective carbon sinks and storage capacity. However, not all coastal vegetation has the same capacity while potential offsets, like emission of other greenhouse gasses like methane, have not been studied thoroughly. Carbon retention of coastal vegetation might vary under climate warming scenarios as well as potential emissions. Here we present greenhouse gas dynamics in the coastal Balearic sea, measured at the BOATS (Balearic Ocean Acidification Time Series) stations and discuss the relative footprint of the extensive seagrass meadows present in this area as well as potential future trajectories.