Abstract
In this chapter, we estimated carbon sequestration by seagrass and macroalgal beds, defined as the integration of annual plant tissue (organic carbon) production, in Japan. Each of the main four beds, eelgrass beds (Amamo-ba), Sargassum beds (Garamo-ba), warm-temperate kelp beds (Arame-ba), and cold-temperate kelp beds (Kombu-ba), exhibited a distinctive geographic distributional pattern along Japan’s coasts that depended on regional climate and topographic characteristics. The total area of the four beds was approximately 230,000 ha nationwide, based on an analysis of the latest satellite images and information on past distributions of the beds. Carbon sequestration of each seagrass or macroalgal bed was evaluated as integrated annual plant tissue production converted to organic carbon, which was defined by subtracting dissolved organic matter production from net primary production. Plant tissue production of the main constituent macrophyte of the seagrass and macroalgal beds was directly measured in each coastal region, and production values from past reports were also collected and utilized. Annual carbon sequestration by seagrass and macroalgal beds in Japan, expressed in a CO2-converted base, was about 4.7 million tons per year, which is comparable to the CO2 emissions of the industrial sectors of agriculture and fisheries.
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Yoshida, G. et al. (2019). Carbon Sequestration by Seagrass and Macroalgae in Japan: Estimates and Future Needs. In: Kuwae, T., Hori, M. (eds) Blue Carbon in Shallow Coastal Ecosystems. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1295-3_4
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