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Seagrass Carbon cycling and Local Environmental Drivers

Project description

Innovative assessment of seagrass meadow carbon cycling

Seagrass meadows are significant for carbon sequestration, but there is limited understanding of their full potential due to fluctuations in reported rates over time and space. The EU-funded SCaLED project aims to understand the carbon sequestration potential and response of seagrass meadows to global change. It will combine ecological, biogeochemical and modeling methods to develop a better understanding of seagrass meadow carbon cycling and sequestration and provide robust present-day estimates and future forecasting. The project will use predictive and spatial modeling to make regional forecasts of present-day seagrass carbon cycling and develop an innovative dynamic seagrass carbon cycling model. These results will inform coastal management and regional climate change policies.

Objective

Seagrass meadows have been identified as hotspots for carbon (C) sequestration, however, their full sequestration potential and its response to global change remains poorly understood and quantified. Large temporal and spatial variability of reported seagrass meadow carbon cycling rates limit our ability to robustly estimate seagrass meadows contribution to the global carbon cycle. With the SCaLED project, I will combine ecological, biogeochemical and modelling methods to develop a mechanistic understanding of seagrass meadow carbon cycling and sequestration, which will elucidate the observed variability, and thereby, enable robust present-day estimates and future forecasting of seagrass meadow carbon cycling. During the SCaLED project, I will receive training in the state-of-the-art Eddy Covariance technique, which I will apply alongside an ecological field survey, to quantify the dominant drivers of seagrass meadow carbon cycling. Using predictive and spatial modelling, I will make mechanistic regional forecasts of present-day seagrass carbon cycling, which will provide vital information for coastal managers and will help inform regional climate change policies. To further advance our mechanistic understanding and to forecast the future of seagrass meadow carbon cycling under climate change scenarios, I will conduct a secondment with ecological and biogeochemical modellers where I will develop an innovative dynamic seagrass carbon cycling model. The proposed interdisciplinary approach constitutes an unrivalled opportunity to increase our understanding of carbon cycling in the coastal zone and will provide me with a novel skillset that will set me up as an independent and innovative researcher.

Funding Scheme

MSCA-PF - MSCA-PF

Coordinator

SYDDANSK UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution
€ 230 774,40
Address
Campusvej 55
5230 Odense m
Denmark

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Region
Danmark Syddanmark Fyn
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Other funding
€ 0,00

Partners (1)