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Lookup NU author(s): Maxine CanvinORCiD, Professor Pip MooreORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2024. Seaweed cultivation, including kelp species, is rapidly expanding in many regions. A widely assumed co-benefit of seaweed farming is increased local carbon sequestration rates (thereby contributing to climate change mitigation), although direct field-based measurements of carbon assimilation and release are largely lacking. We quantified growth, erosion and dislodgement rates of farmed Saccharina latissima in Porthallow Bay (Cornwall, UK) throughout a typical cultivation season to provide insights into the carbon sequestration potential of small-scale kelp farms. Blade elongation rates increased from ~ 1.3 cm day−1 to ~ 2.3 cm day−1 in March–April, before declining to 1.4 cm day−1 by May. Meanwhile, erosion rates remained low, ranging from ~ 0.5 to ~ 0.8 cm day−1. Dislodgement rates decreased from 20% of plants in January–February to 5% in April–May. Rates of carbon accumulation and loss increased from January to May, related to an increase in standing stock. Conservative first-order estimates suggest that the farm captures 0.14 t C ha−1 y−1, of which up to 70% is released into the environment as particulate organic carbon. Based on previous estimates of carbon burial and storage rates, the farm may sequester 0.05 t CO2e ha−1 y−1. These values suggest that scaling-up European kelp farming should be motivated by other co-benefits, such as low-carbon product alternatives, job creation and potential biodiversity gains, and not be solely driven by a perceived meaningful increase in carbon sequestration. Importantly, further information needs to be obtained from a variety of cultivation sites to develop a better understanding of carbon dynamics associated with kelp farms.
Author(s): Canvin MC, Moore PJ, Smale DA
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Applied Phycology
Year: 2024
Pages: ePub ahead of print
Online publication date: 31/07/2024
Acceptance date: 19/07/2024
Date deposited: 13/08/2024
ISSN (print): 0921-8971
ISSN (electronic): 1573-5176
Publisher: Springer Nature
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-024-03323-w
DOI: 10.1007/s10811-024-03323-w
Data Access Statement: Data will be made available on request.
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