Sediment

Algorithm

Zostera marina

Composite number

Ecology

Zostera

Biology

Abiotic component

Materials science

Fishery

Computer science

Carbon fibers

Seagrass

Geology

Oceanography

Paleontology

Total organic carbon

Blue carbon

Biomass (ecology)

Temperate climate

Environmental science

Composite material

Carbon dioxide

Carbon sequestration

Ecosystem

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

Despite the importance of coastal ecosystems for the global carbon budgets, knowledge of their carbon storage capacity and the factors driving variability in storage capacity is still limited. Here we provide an estimate on the magnitude and variability of carbon stocks within a widely distributed marine foundation species throughout its distribution area in temperate Northern Hemisphere. We sampled 54 eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) meadows, spread across eight ocean margins and 36° of latitude, to determine abiotic and biotic factors influencing organic carbon (C org ) stocks in Zostera marina sediments. The C org stocks (integrated over 25‐cm depth) showed a large variability and ranged from 318 to 26,523 g C/m 2 with an average of 2,721 g C/m 2 . The projected C org stocks obtained by extrapolating over the top 1 m of sediment ranged between 23.1 and 351.7 Mg C/ha, which is in line with estimates for other seagrasses and other blue carbon ecosystems. Most of the variation in C org stocks was explained by five environmental variables (sediment mud content, dry density and degree of sorting, and salinity and water depth), while plant attributes such as biomass and shoot density were less important to C org stocks. Carbon isotopic signatures indicated that at most sites &lt;50% of the sediment carbon is derived from seagrass, which is lower than reported previously for seagrass meadows. The high spatial carbon storage variability urges caution in extrapolating carbon storage capacity between geographical areas as well as within and between seagrass species.

Blue Carbon Storage Capacity of Temperate Eelgrass (<scp><i>Zostera marina</i></scp>) Meadows

Blue Carbon Storage Capacity of Temperate Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Meadows