Blue carbon – there’s a farm for it

Seaweed farms store carbon as effectively as natural coastal ecosystems new research shows.

A study supported by the IAEA and recently published in Nature: Climate Change, says that seaweed farms have the capacity to store organic carbon in their underlying sediments at rates similar to those of natural Blue Carbon habitats.

Determining the accumulation rates of organic carbon in marine sediments was achieved through the use of nuclear techniques. Researchers used isotope lead-210, a naturally occurring radionuclide, to determine sediment accumulation rates.

‘Seaweed farming offers a scalable, nature-based solution for carbon removal while delivering co-benefits such as biodiversity enhancement, economic opportunities and food security,’ said Carlos Duarte, the study’s lead author and Oceans 2050’s Chief Scientist.