Blue Carbon Canada

In the tropics, sea grasses and mangroves are important forms of blue carbon, sequestering rich carbon stores in the sediment beneath them. In Canada, and many other countries, there is growing interest in seabed sediments and kelp forests as potential sources of blue carbon, but there are also many uncertainties.

In our NSERC Alliance-Mitacs research program, Blue Carbon Canada, we are conducting a national assessment of the carbon drawdown capacity of Canada’s oceans. We have assessed carbon stores in Canada’s seabed sediments, the extent to which they are protected by current and planned spatial protections, and how mobile bottom fishing (trawling) threatens these important carbon stores. We have also conducted a first assessment of the blue carbon capacity of Canada’s kelp forests.

Currently we are modelling the present extent of kelp, eelgrass, and tidal marshes along Canada’s three coastlines, and projecting its potential to persist under different climate change scenarios. Like we have done for the kelp, the blue carbon capacity for marshes and eelgrass will be assessed and then we will see how that will change under different climate scenarios and protection strategies.

This work is done in collaboration with climate experts and partners at UBC, McGill, Laval, Oceans North, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada, Nature United, BC Parks, Nature Trust of BC, Kelp Rescue, and Arctic Kelp.

This project started summer 2022 and has its own dedicated website.

Baum Lab Team members: Dr. Jenn McHenry (BCC Senior PDF Research Fellow), Dr. Xiucheng Yang (PDF Research Fellow), Matt Csordas (PhD Candidate), Lauren Shea (Research Technician), Kristina Tietjen (Project Manager)