Blue Carbon Futures: moving forward on terra firma

Maintaining coastal carbon sequestration and storage services is economically valuable in providing a potentially long-term contribution toward climate resilience, both in terms of adaptation and mitigation.

392The volumetric accumulation of coastal carbon stocks is unique from other terrestrial and aquatic processes, and inconsistent use of terminology is holding back understanding of the range, magnitude, and processes critical to this carbon sink.

Documenting net greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits of coastal ecosystem management needs integrated models that quantitatively incorporate geomorphic, biogeochemical, atmospheric, and hydrologic exchanges to account for both carbon accumulation and loss, across a range of timescales.

A community effort is necessary to explore similarities among coastal ecosystems to determine the drivers and scale of true variability, to prioritize specific wetland management options, and develop the most effective monitoring approaches.

While there are further scientific aspects of blue carbon to be explored, there is sufficient knowledge and experience to advance demonstration projects across a range of systems and conditions, which can inform policy development and scaled implementation.