DOCSLIB.ORG

Carbon Sequestration by Forest

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Carbon Sequestration by Forest Understanding how and how much carbon dioxide can be fixed by natural ways Educational material mix for the School Agenda 21, compiled and adapted by Josean Kijera – Ingurugela, Donostia (Basque Country) 1 1. Carbon sink A carbon sink is a natural or artificial reservoir that accumulates and stores some carbon- containing chemical compound for an undefined time. The process by which carbon sinks remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is known as carbon sequestration. Awareness of the significance of CO2 sinks has grown since the Kyoto Protocol, where their use as a form of carbon offset is promoted. There are different strategies used to enhance this generic process. Figure 1. Natural and anthropogenic interactions in the Earth´s carbon cycle (Source: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC; http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/76572.html) 2 2. Biosequestration Biosequestration is the capture and storage of the atmospheric greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by biological processes. This can happen by increasing photosynthesis (through some practices like preventing deforestation, reforestation and genetic engineering); by enhanced soil carbon trapping in agriculture; or by the use of algal biosequestration (algae bioreactor) to absorb CO2 emissions from coal, petroleum (oil) or natural gas based electricity generation, transportation... Biosequestration, as a natural process, has occurred in the past, and was responsible for the formation of the extensive coal and oil deposits which are now being Figure 2. Biosequestration of carbon, as CO2 by photosynthesis (Source: International burned for energy. Center for Tropical Agriculture, CIAT; http://dapa.ciat.cgiar.org/carbon- sequestration-one-true-green-revolution/) 3 Biosequestration of carbon by plants Some definitions: • Carbon dioxide: it is a by-product of respiration and substrate for the photosynthetic process; also, a greenhouse gas massively produced by hydrocarbon combustion. • CO2 flux: the transfer of a quantity of CO2 per unit of area and per unit of time. • Gross Primary Production (GPP): the total amount of organic material assimilated by plants in an assumed time. • Net Primary Production (NPP): the total amount of organic material accumulated by plants in a specified time; in other terms: NPP = Photosynthesis – Respiration. Carbon biosequestration in plants is the process by which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and stored as plant biomass. 4 Carbon biosequestration can be considered at a number of levels. At the level of an discrete plant, the amount of carbon sequestered is this: CO2 sequestered = Photosynthesis – Respiration So that, the amount of sequestered carbon is just as to the NPP of the plant. If carbon biosequestration is considered at ecosystem level, some more factors have to be accounted. The diagram indicates the mean processes involved in ecosystem carbon sequestration: - Blue arrow: process that bring carbon into the ecosystem. - Red arrows: processes returning carbon from the ecosystem to the atmosphere. Figure 3. Carbon biosequestration in ecosystems by plants (Source: University of Colorado; http://www.colorado.edu/geography/blanken/GEOG%206181%20F all%202003/zarter/html/zarter_cseq.shtml) 5 Temperate forest and their capacity incorporating carbon dioxide Temperate forest, vegetation type with a more or less continuous canopy of broad-leaved trees. Such forests occur between approximately 25° and 50° latitude in both N and S hemispheres. Near the polar regions they grade into boreal forests, which are dominated by perennial conifers. Mixed forests, containing both deciduous and coniferous trees, occupy transitional areas. Temperate forests can be classified into two main groups: deciduous and evergreen. Figure 4. Temperate forest areas in the world (Source: Encliclopaedia Britannica; http://global.britannica.com/E Bchecked/topic/586555/tem perate-forest) 6 Deciduous forests are found in regions of the Northern Hemisphere that have moist, warm summers and frosty winters (primarily eastern North America, eastern Asia, and western Europe). In contrast, evergreen forests grow in areas with mild, nearly frost-free winters. They fall into two subcategories: - Broad-leaved forests. - Sclerophyllous forests. (Sclerophyllous vegetation has small, hard, thick leaves). The former grow in regions that have high year-round rainfall; the latter occur in areas with lower and more inconsistent rainfall. Figure 5 and 6. Temperate forest plants (Source: Encliclopaedia Britannica; http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/586555/temperate-forest) 7 Temperate forests are vigorous carbon sinks and deforestation in temperate zones has largely stopped. Where demand for land and/or water allows, reforestation would enable carbon sequestration and could provide other benefits, as well as higher biodiversity. Figure 7. Carbon contained in natural ecosystems (Source: Grida; http://www.grida.no/publications/rr/natural- fix/page/3725.aspx) 8 Terrestrial storage in wild lands and agricultural landscapes Soils exemplify a small to long-term carbon storage medium, and contain more carbon than all terrestrial vegetation and the atmosphere combined. Plant litter, like other biomass, accumulates as organic matter in soils, and is degraded by chemical weathering and biological degradation. More recalcitrant organic carbon polymers, such as cellulose, hemi- cellulose, lignin, aliphatic compounds, waxes and terpenoids, are collectively retained in the humus. Figure 8. Terrestrial storage of carbon in soils (Source: Big Sky Carbon; http://www.bigskyco2.org/whatisit/ter restrial) 9 Regenerative agriculture Current agricultural practices lead to carbon loss from soils. It has been suggested that improved farming practices could return the soils to being a carbon sink. Present wide- reaching practices of overgrazing are greatly reducing many grasslands' performance as carbon sinks. Some studies shows that regenerative agriculture could sequester up to 40 % of current CO2 emissions. So that, agricultural carbon sequestration has the potential to mitigate global warming. When using biologically based regenerative practices, this powerful advantage can be accomplished with no reduction in yields or farmer profits. Organically managed soils can convert carbon dioxide from a greenhouse gas into a food- producing asset. Figure 9. Regenerative agriculture. Figure 10. Agriculture and sustainability. 10 Enhancing natural sequestration in forest Forests are carbon stores, and they are carbon dioxide sinks when they are increasing in density or area. For example, in Canada's boreal forests around the 80 % of the total carbon is stored in the soils like deceased organic matter. An important and large in time study about African, Asian, and South American tropical forests shows that tropical forests absorb about 18 % of all CO2 from by fossil fuels. Tropical reforestation is a good practice mitigating global warming until all available land has been reforested with mature forests. Truly mature tropical forests sequester no net carbon. In the equilibrium state, growth equals decay; in this situation, tropical soils do not accumulate humus as temperate forests do. Figure 11. Temperate forest of Montenegro. (Source: Wikipedia, Old-growth forest; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old- growth_forest) 11 The IPCC concluded that: A sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber fiber or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit. Sustainable management practices promotes forests growing at a higher rate over a potentially longer period of time, providing net sequestration benefits in addition to those of unmanaged forests. Global Potential for Carbon Sequestration (Source: Wikispaces, Climate Change; http://climatechange.wikispaces.com /Carbon+Sequestering) 12 Life expectancy of forests varies throughout the world, influenced by tree species, site conditions and natural disturbance patterns. In some forests, carbon may be stored for centuries, while in other forests carbon is released with frequent stand replacing fires. Figure 12. Timber, and Figure 13. forest in fired (Source: Wikipedia, Wildfire; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildfire) Forests that are harvested prior to stand replacing events allow for the retention of carbon in manufactured forest products such as lumber. However, only a portion of the carbon removed from logged forests ends up as durable goods and buildings. The remainder ends up as sawmill by-products such as pulp, paper and pallets, which often end with incineration (resulting in carbon release into the atmosphere) at the end of their lifecycle. 13 Biosequestration by reforestation Sequestration of CO2 trough reforestation is the replanting of trees, often on marginal crop and pasture lands, to incorporate carbon from atmospheric CO2 into biomass. For a good practice, previously retained carbon must not return to the atmosphere from burning or rotting when the trees die. To this end, the trees must grow in perpetuity or the wood from them must itself be sequestered, e.g., via biochar, bio-energy with carbon storage (BECS) or landfill. Short of growth in perpetuity, however, reforestation with long-lived trees (>100 years) will sequester carbon for a more graduated release, minimizing impact during the expected carbon crisis of the 21st century. Figure 14. Biosequestration by reforestation. Reforested land. IDEASGALORE:
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Role of Reforestation in Carbon Sequestration
    New Forests (2019) 50:115–137 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-018-9655-3 The role of reforestation in carbon sequestration L. E. Nave1,2 · B. F. Walters3 · K. L. Hofmeister4 · C. H. Perry3 · U. Mishra5 · G. M. Domke3 · C. W. Swanston6 Received: 12 October 2017 / Accepted: 24 June 2018 / Published online: 9 July 2018 © Springer Nature B.V. 2018 Abstract In the United States (U.S.), the maintenance of forest cover is a legal mandate for federally managed forest lands. More broadly, reforestation following harvesting, recent or historic disturbances can enhance numerous carbon (C)-based ecosystem services and functions. These include production of woody biomass for forest products, and mitigation of atmos- pheric ­CO2 pollution and climate change by sequestering C into ecosystem pools where it can be stored for long timescales. Nonetheless, a range of assessments and analyses indicate that reforestation in the U.S. lags behind its potential, with the continuation of ecosystem services and functions at risk if reforestation is not increased. In this context, there is need for multiple independent analyses that quantify the role of reforestation in C sequestration, from ecosystems up to regional and national levels. Here, we describe the methods and report the fndings of a large-scale data synthesis aimed at four objectives: (1) estimate C storage in major ecosystem pools in forest and other land cover types; (2) quan- tify sources of variation in ecosystem C pools; (3) compare the impacts of reforestation and aforestation on C pools; (4) assess whether these results hold or diverge across ecore- gions.
    [Show full text]
  • 7.014 Handout PRODUCTIVITY: the “METABOLISM” of ECOSYSTEMS
    7.014 Handout PRODUCTIVITY: THE “METABOLISM” OF ECOSYSTEMS Ecologists use the term “productivity” to refer to the process through which an assemblage of organisms (e.g. a trophic level or ecosystem assimilates carbon. Primary producers (autotrophs) do this through photosynthesis; Secondary producers (heterotrophs) do it through the assimilation of the organic carbon in their food. Remember that all organic carbon in the food web is ultimately derived from primary production. DEFINITIONS Primary Productivity: Rate of conversion of CO2 to organic carbon (photosynthesis) per unit surface area of the earth, expressed either in terns of weight of carbon, or the equivalent calories e.g., g C m-2 year-1 Kcal m-2 year-1 Primary Production: Same as primary productivity, but usually expressed for a whole ecosystem e.g., tons year-1 for a lake, cornfield, forest, etc. NET vs. GROSS: For plants: Some of the organic carbon generated in plants through photosynthesis (using solar energy) is oxidized back to CO2 (releasing energy) through the respiration of the plants – RA. Gross Primary Production: (GPP) = Total amount of CO2 reduced to organic carbon by the plants per unit time Autotrophic Respiration: (RA) = Total amount of organic carbon that is respired (oxidized to CO2) by plants per unit time Net Primary Production (NPP) = GPP – RA The amount of organic carbon produced by plants that is not consumed by their own respiration. It is the increase in the plant biomass in the absence of herbivores. For an entire ecosystem: Some of the NPP of the plants is consumed (and respired) by herbivores and decomposers and oxidized back to CO2 (RH).
    [Show full text]
  • The Risks of Large-Scale Biosequestration in the Context of Carbon Dioxide Removal Globalforestcoalition.Org/Risks-Of-Large-Scale-Biosequestration
    Read the full working paper: The risks of large-scale biosequestration in the context of Carbon Dioxide Removal globalforestcoalition.org/risks-of-large-scale-biosequestration Background photo: Ben Beiske/Flickr The Paris Agreement and support for The negative ecological and social Governance is key! bioenergy and monoculture tree Plantations often impacts of monoculture tree In principle, addressing climate change through biosequestration requires multi-scale replace natural forests, such as governance options that succeed in translating a global environmental policy objective into local plantations this palm oil plantation in Peru. plantations action. But global actors like transnational corporations, international financial institutions and Mathias Rittgerott/Rainforest Rescue powerful, hegemonic governments have far more political and economic power than local The Paris Agreement has set an ambitious target If implemented at the scales envisaged, both BECCS and afforestation rightsholder groups like women and Indigenous Peoples. These global actors have an economic of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. will require vast areas of land for the establishment of industrial interest in relatively cheap or even commercially profitable forms of biosequestration, and large- But the explicit reference to achieving "a monoculture tree plantations. One estimate suggests that using scale monocultures of trees and other crops tend to qualify well in that respect. These actors will balance between anthropogenic emissions BECCS to limit the global temperature rise to 2°C would require crops subsequently be inclined to use arguments that align their economic interests with a discourse of by sources and removals by sinks of to be planted solely for the purpose of CO2 removal on up to 580 global biosphere stewardship, claiming large-scale biosequestration is one of the few remaining greenhouse gases" has put a strong focus million hectares of land, equivalent to around one-third of the current options to effectively address climate change.
    [Show full text]
  • Bacterial Production and Respiration
    Organic matter production % 0 Dissolved Particulate 5 > Organic Organic Matter Matter Heterotrophic Bacterial Grazing Growth ~1-10% of net organic DOM does not matter What happens to the 90-99% of sink, but can be production is physically exported to organic matter production that does deep sea not get exported as particles? transported Export •Labile DOC turnover over time scales of hours to days. •Semi-labile DOC turnover on time scales of weeks to months. •Refractory DOC cycles over on time scales ranging from decadal to multi- decadal…perhaps longer •So what consumes labile and semi-labile DOC? How much carbon passes through the microbial loop? Phytoplankton Heterotrophic bacteria ?? Dissolved organic Herbivores ?? matter Higher trophic levels Protozoa (zooplankton, fish, etc.) ?? • Very difficult to directly measure the flux of carbon from primary producers into the microbial loop. – The microbial loop is mostly run on labile (recently produced organic matter) - - very low concentrations (nM) turning over rapidly against a high background pool (µM). – Unclear exactly which types of organic compounds support bacterial growth. Bacterial Production •Step 1: Determine how much carbon is consumed by bacteria for production of new biomass. •Bacterial production (BP) is the rate that bacterial biomass is created. It represents the amount of Heterotrophic material that is transformed from a nonliving pool bacteria (DOC) to a living pool (bacterial biomass). •Mathematically P = µB ?? µ = specific growth rate (time-1) B = bacterial biomass (mg C L-1) P= bacterial production (mg C L-1 d-1) Dissolved organic •Note that µ = P/B matter •Thus, P has units of mg C L-1 d-1 Bacterial production provides one measurement of carbon flow into the microbial loop How doe we measure bacterial production? Production (∆ biomass/time) (mg C L-1 d-1) • 3H-thymidine • 3H or 14C-leucine Note: these are NOT direct measures of biomass production (i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • GLOBAL PRIMARY PRODUCTION and EVAPOTRANSPIRATION by Steven W
    15 GLOBAL PRIMARY PRODUCTION AND EVAPOTRANSPIRATION by Steven W. Running and Maosheng Zhao DATA PRODUCTS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Terrestrial primary production provides the energy to (MODIS) sensor, these variables are calculated maintain the structure and functions of ecosystems, every eight days in near real time at 1 km resolution. and supplies goods (e.g. food, fuel, wood and fi bre) MODIS GPP, NPP and ET data are available at the for human society. Gross primary production (GPP) EOS data gateway (see link below). is the amount of carbon fi xed by photosynthesis, To correct for contamination in the global and net primary production (NPP) is the amount of refl ectance data due to severe cloudiness or aerosols carbon converted into biomass after subtracting in the near real time products, these datasets are the cost of plant respiration. The water loss through reprocessed at the end of each year to build more exchange of trace gas CO2 by leaf stomata during stable, permanent datasets. These end-of-year photosynthesis plus evaporation from soil and versions of MODIS GPP, NPP and ET are available at plants is evapotranspiration (ET). ET computes the NTSG, University of Montana (see link below). water lost by a land surface, so it is consequently a component of the water balance in a region, and RESULTS FOR 2000–2006 is therefore relevant for drought monitoring and Figure 1 shows the seven-year average MODIS water management, providing an assessment of NPP for vegetated land on earth at 1 km spatial the water potentially available for human society.
    [Show full text]
  • Protect Us from Climate Change
    INTRODUCTION This project documents both the existing value and potential of New England’s working forest lands: Value – not only in terms of business opportunities, jobs and income – but also nonfinancial values, such as enhanced wildlife populations, recreation opportunities and a healthful environment. This project of the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) is aimed at enhancing the contribution the region’s forests can make to sustainability, and is intended to complement other efforts aimed at not only conserving New England’s forests, but also enhancing New England’s agriculture and fisheries. New England’s forests have sustained the six-state region since colonial settlement. They have provided the wood for buildings, fuel to heat them, the fiber for papermaking, the lumber for ships, furniture, boxes and barrels and so much more. As Arizona is defined by its desert landscapes and Iowa by its farms, New England is defined by its forests. These forests provide a wide range of products beyond timber, including maple syrup; balsam fir tips for holiday decorations; paper birch bark for crafts; edibles such as berries, mushrooms and fiddleheads; and curatives made from medicinal plants. They are the home to diverse and abundant wildlife. They are the backdrop for hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing and camping. They also provide other important benefits that we take for granted, including clean air, potable water and carbon storage. In addition to tangible benefits that can be measured in board feet or cords, or miles of hiking trails, forests have been shown to be important to both physical and mental health. Beyond their existing contributions, New England’s forests have unrealized potential.
    [Show full text]
  • Carbon Dynamics of Subtropical Wetland Communities in South Florida DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Require
    Carbon Dynamics of Subtropical Wetland Communities in South Florida DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Jorge Andres Villa Betancur Graduate Program in Environmental Science The Ohio State University 2014 Dissertation Committee: William J. Mitsch, Co-advisor Gil Bohrer, Co-advisor James Bauer Jay Martin Copyrighted by Jorge Andres Villa Betancur 2014 Abstract Emission and uptake of greenhouse gases and the production and transport of dissolved organic matter in different wetland plant communities are key wetland functions determining two important ecosystem services, climate regulation and nutrient cycling. The objective of this dissertation was to study the variation of methane emissions, carbon sequestration and exports of dissolved organic carbon in wetland plant communities of a subtropical climate in south Florida. The plant communities selected for the study of methane emissions and carbon sequestration were located in a natural wetland landscape and corresponded to a gradient of inundation duration. Going from the wettest to the driest conditions, the communities were designated as: deep slough, bald cypress, wet prairie, pond cypress and hydric pine flatwood. In the first methane emissions study, non-steady-state rigid chambers were deployed at each community sequentially at three different times of the day during a 24- month period. Methane fluxes from the different communities did not show a discernible daily pattern, in contrast to a marked increase in seasonal emissions during inundation. All communities acted at times as temporary sinks for methane, but overall were net -2 -1 sources. Median and mean + standard error fluxes in g CH4-C.m .d were higher in the deep slough (11 and 56.2 + 22.1), followed by the wet prairie (9.01 and 53.3 + 26.6), bald cypress (3.31 and 5.54 + 2.51) and pond cypress (1.49, 4.55 + 3.35) communities.
    [Show full text]
  • Phytoplankton As Key Mediators of the Biological Carbon Pump: Their Responses to a Changing Climate
    sustainability Review Phytoplankton as Key Mediators of the Biological Carbon Pump: Their Responses to a Changing Climate Samarpita Basu * ID and Katherine R. M. Mackey Earth System Science, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 7 January 2018; Accepted: 12 March 2018; Published: 19 March 2018 Abstract: The world’s oceans are a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). The biological carbon pump plays a vital role in the net transfer of CO2 from the atmosphere to the oceans and then to the sediments, subsequently maintaining atmospheric CO2 at significantly lower levels than would be the case if it did not exist. The efficiency of the biological pump is a function of phytoplankton physiology and community structure, which are in turn governed by the physical and chemical conditions of the ocean. However, only a few studies have focused on the importance of phytoplankton community structure to the biological pump. Because global change is expected to influence carbon and nutrient availability, temperature and light (via stratification), an improved understanding of how phytoplankton community size structure will respond in the future is required to gain insight into the biological pump and the ability of the ocean to act as a long-term sink for atmospheric CO2. This review article aims to explore the potential impacts of predicted changes in global temperature and the carbonate system on phytoplankton cell size, species and elemental composition, so as to shed light on the ability of the biological pump to sequester carbon in the future ocean.
    [Show full text]
  • Soil Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation: a Role
    Soil Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation: A Role for American Agriculture Dr. Charles W. Rice and Debbie Reed, MSc. Professor of Agronomy Kansas State University Department of Agronomy Manhattan, KS Agriculture and Climate Change Specialist DRD Associates Arlington, VA March 2007 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary (pg. 5) Global Climate Change (7) Greenhouse Gases and American Agriculture (8) The Role of Agriculture in Combating Rising Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change (8) Agricultural Practices that Combat Climate Change (10) Decreasing emissions (10) Enhancing sinks (10) Displacing emissions (11) How American Agriculture Can Reduce U.S. GHG Emissions and Combat Climate Change (multi-page spread: 12-14) Building Carbon Sinks: Soil Carbon Sequestration (12) Cropland (12) Agronomy (12) Nutrient Management (12) Tillage/Residue Management (13) Land cover/land use change (13) Grazingland management and pasture improvement (13) Grazing intensity (13) Increased productivity (including fertilization) (13) Nutrient management (13) Fire management (13) Restoration of degraded lands (13) Decreasing GHG Emissions: Manure Management (14) Displacing GHG Emissions: Biofuels (14) Table 1: Estimates of potential carbon sequestration of agricultural practices (14) Economic Benefits of Conservation Tillage and No-Till Systems (15) Table 2: Change in yield, net dollar returns, emissions, and soil carbon when converting from conventional tillage to no tillage corn production in Northeast Kansas (15) Co-Benefits of Soil Carbon Sequestration: “Charismatic Carbon” (16) Table 3: Plant nutrients supplied by soil organic matter (SOM) (16) 2 New Technologies to Further Enhance Soil Carbon Storage (16) Biochar (16) Modification of the Plant-Soil System (17) Meeting the Climate Challenge: The Role of Carbon Markets (17) Mandatory v.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea Gigas) in the UK: Economic, Legal and Environmental Issues Associated with Its Cultivation, Wild Establishment and Exploitation
    The Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) in the UK: Economic, Legal and Environmental Issues Associated with its Cultivation, Wild Establishment and Exploitation Report for the Shellfish Association of Great Britain Final: August 2012 The Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) in the UK: Economic, Legal and Environmental Issues Associated with its Cultivation, Wild Establishment and Exploitation Prepared by: Centre for Conservation Ecology & Environmental Science Bournemouth University Christchurch House Talbot Campus Fern Barrow Poole Dorset BH12 5BB ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd Quayside Suite Medina Chambers Town Quay Southampton Hampshire SO14 2AQ Jhc research Prospect Cottage Happy Bottom Corfe Mullen Dorset BH21 3DP Plymouth University Centre for Marine and Coastal Policy Research Plymouth University Reynolds Building Drake Circus Plymouth PL4 8AA Suggested Citation: Herbert, R.J.H., Roberts, C., Humphreys, J. and Fletcher, S., 2012. The Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) in the UK: Economic, Legal and Environmental Issues Associated with its Cultivation, Wild Establishment and Exploitation. Report for the Shellfish Association of Great Britain. (i) The Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) in the UK: Economic, Legal and Environmental Issues Associated with its Cultivation, Wild Establishment and Exploitation Summary Introduction and Methods 1. This paper presents an independent review of current economic, legal and environmental issues pertaining to the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) industry in the UK. The study was commissioned by the Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB) and a steering group consisting of industry members and regulatory agencies. The study draws on evidence from comparable temperate regions around the world where Pacific oysters are grown and from UK and European stakeholders, industry, growers and regulators.
    [Show full text]
  • Ocean Storage
    277 6 Ocean storage Coordinating Lead Authors Ken Caldeira (United States), Makoto Akai (Japan) Lead Authors Peter Brewer (United States), Baixin Chen (China), Peter Haugan (Norway), Toru Iwama (Japan), Paul Johnston (United Kingdom), Haroon Kheshgi (United States), Qingquan Li (China), Takashi Ohsumi (Japan), Hans Pörtner (Germany), Chris Sabine (United States), Yoshihisa Shirayama (Japan), Jolyon Thomson (United Kingdom) Contributing Authors Jim Barry (United States), Lara Hansen (United States) Review Editors Brad De Young (Canada), Fortunat Joos (Switzerland) 278 IPCC Special Report on Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 279 6.7 Environmental impacts, risks, and risk management 298 6.1 Introduction and background 279 6.7.1 Introduction to biological impacts and risk 298 6.1.1 Intentional storage of CO2 in the ocean 279 6.7.2 Physiological effects of CO2 301 6.1.2 Relevant background in physical and chemical 6.7.3 From physiological mechanisms to ecosystems 305 oceanography 281 6.7.4 Biological consequences for water column release scenarios 306 6.2 Approaches to release CO2 into the ocean 282 6.7.5 Biological consequences associated with CO2 6.2.1 Approaches to releasing CO2 that has been captured, lakes 307 compressed, and transported into the ocean 282 6.7.6 Contaminants in CO2 streams 307 6.2.2 CO2 storage by dissolution of carbonate minerals 290 6.7.7 Risk management 307 6.2.3 Other ocean storage approaches 291 6.7.8 Social aspects; public and stakeholder perception 307 6.3 Capacity and fractions retained
    [Show full text]
  • Forestry As a Natural Climate Solution: the Positive Outcomes of Negative Carbon Emissions
    PNW Pacific Northwest Research Station INSIDE Tracking Carbon Through Forests and Streams . 2 Mapping Carbon in Soil. .3 Alaska Land Carbon Project . .4 What’s Next in Carbon Cycle Research . 4 FINDINGS issue two hundred twenty-five / march 2020 “Science affects the way we think together.” Lewis Thomas Forestry as a Natural Climate Solution: The Positive Outcomes of Negative Carbon Emissions IN SUMMARY Forests are considered a natural solu- tion for mitigating climate change David D’A more because they absorb and store atmos- pheric carbon. With Alaska boasting 129 million acres of forest, this state can play a crucial role as a carbon sink for the United States. Until recently, the vol- ume of carbon stored in Alaska’s forests was unknown, as was their future car- bon sequestration capacity. In 2007, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act that directed the Department of the Inte- rior to assess the stock and flow of carbon in all the lands and waters of the United States. In 2012, a team com- posed of researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Ser- vice, and the University of Alaska assessed how much carbon Alaska’s An unthinned, even-aged stand in southeast Alaska. New research on carbon sequestration in the region’s coastal temperate rainforests, and how this may change over the next 80 years, is helping land managers forests can sequester. evaluate tradeoffs among management options. The researchers concluded that ecosys- tems of Alaska could be a substantial “Stones have been known to move sunlight, water, and atmospheric carbon diox- carbon sink.
    [Show full text]