What is “Coastal Blue Carbon”?

A win-win-win for habitat conservation, coastal resilience, and climate mitigation

Dr. Ariana Sutton-GrierNOAA Coastal Blue Carbon Team Lead

May 21, 2014

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Our Changing Carbon Cycle

Black Carbon (humanemissions)

Blue Carbon(coasts and oceans)

Green Carbon(terrestrial biota)

CoastalBlue Carbon

Coastal habitats:Salt marshesMangrovesSea Grasses

www.noaa.gov

www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Research

Locations of Coastal Blue Carbon

• Coastal blue carbon is almost everywhere

Pendleton et al. 2012

What do coastal blue carbon habitats look like?

• Mangroves, Salt Marsh, and Seagrasses

Coastal Habitats Sequester Carbon• Smaller total

area, but much greater sequestration in coastal blue carbon habitats

• Coastal habitats ~equivalent annual sink to forest systems

McLeod et al. 2011. Frontiers in Ecology and Environment

Coastal Habitats Store CarbonIn coastal habitats, most carbon is stored in sediments and less in biomass

Source: Murray, Brian, Linwood Pendleton, W. Aaron Jenkins, and Samantha Sifleet. 2011. Green Payments for Blue Carbon: Economic Incentives for Protecting Threatened Coastal Habitats. Nicholas Institute Report. NI R 11-04.

~ Emissions produced by 214 passenger vehicles per year

Boreal

Rapid Loss of Coastal Carbon Services• From 2004-2009, U.S. coastal

watersheds lost wetlands at an average rate of 80,000 acres/year

• Worldwide, rates of loss range from 0.7 – 7% annually

• Coastal carbon emissions ~3-19% those of deforestation annually (Pendleton et al. 2012)

Pendleton et al. 2012 PLoSOne

Assumes “social cost of carbon” = US$41/ton

What is the cost of blue carbon emissions?

Ecosystem Global Extent (Mha)

Current Conversion

Rate (% yr-1)

Near Surface Susceptible

Carbon (Mg CO2 ha-1)

Carbon Emissions

(Pg CO2 yr-1)

Economic Cost (Billion US$ yr -1)

Tidal Marsh 22-40 1.0-2.0 237-949 0.02-0.24 0.64-9.7

Mangroves 13.8-15.2 0.7-3.0 373-1492 0.09-0.45 3.6-18.5

Seagrass 17.7-60 0.4-2.6 131-522 0.05-0.33 1.9-13.7

Total 33.7-115.2 0.15-1.02 (0.45)

6.1-41.9

Pathways for Blue Carbon Services & Conservation

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Additional resources through carbon markets for protection and restoration

Bottom half in white is dependent on carbon markets.

Market Policy Needs:• Protocols for GHG

accounting• Carbon market protocols

Science Needs:• Estimates of net C storage and

sequestration• Areal extent of habitats & loss

rates• Carbon dynamics of habitat

disturbance and restoration

GOAL: Enhanced Conservation of Coastal Habitats (e.g., salt marsh, sea grass, and mangroves)

Improve ability to incorporate carbon services in programs and policies (e.g., mitigation projects, NEPA, UNFCCC)

Top half in blue is NOT dependent on carbon markets.

NOAA Policy Needs:• Identification of policies that

should consider coastal carbon• Procedures for how to

incorporate C services into activities

Analysis of Federal Policies• We explored:

1. Whether carbon services of ecosystems could be incorporated into the implementation of federal policies?

2. If so, where would carbon services work in implementation?

Analysis of carbon services in federal policies• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)• Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA)

(part of the Oil Pollution Act)• Clean Water Act (CWA) mitigations (404 (d)

permits)• Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA)• Endangered Species Act (ESA)• Water Resources Principles and Guidelines (P&G)

Findings• Determined: No new

regulations needed• Coastal carbon could be

incorporated into the implementation of all without statutory changes, but is currently not included

• Incorporation of carbon services in these policies could lead to more habitat conservation

seagrassgrow.org

Sutton-Grier et al. 2014. Marine Policy &Pendleton & Sutton-Grier et al. 2013. Coastal Management

Common Limitations• Guidance and procedures for

estimating and valuing coastal carbon

• Capacity and expertise needed to quantify impacts of projects on carbon storage and sequestration

• Methodologies and tools for measuring and valuing carbon and expertise externally and within Federal agencies

NOAA Coastal Blue Carbon Science Activities

• Waquoit Bay study at the National Estuarine Research Reserve “Bringing Wetlands to Market”

• Science to support including wetlands in carbon markets to incentivize investment in wetland restoration and preservation

NOAA International Coastal Blue Carbon Activities

• Supported the development of a UNFCCC workshop on blue carbon

• Lead agency in the Commission on Environmental Cooperation grant (2013-2015) to build a North American community of practice for blue carbon

• Supported the Global Environment Facility “Blue Forest” ecosystem services project and member of the project steering committee

Carbon Market OpportunitiesSupport Restore America’s Estuaries in their study of opportunities for wetland carbon in voluntary carbon markets:•Identifying steps (methodology) to make protection and restoration projects eligible for carbon trading•Developing landscape assessment of restoration potential of Snohomish estuary

• Full restoration of tidal and forested wetlands in watershed would result in 4.4 million tons of CO2 equivalents being sequestered (~annual emissions from 832,000 passenger cars)

•Developing and conducting regional workshops to discuss coastal blue carbon concepts and opportunities

Next Steps• Investigate incorporation of coastal blue

carbon into federal policies and practices that increase coastal habitat conservation• Current NEPA exploration, CEQ GHG Guidance, U.S. GHG

inventory process

• Explore additional opportunities to support Coastal Blue Carbon Science• E.g., Sea Grant funding, NERRS, Sentinel Sites, Sanctuaries,

LCCs

• Support and inform the UNFCCC negotiations process

Other benefits of blue carbon habitats: Habitat

Other benefits of blue carbon habitats: Recreation

Other benefits of blue carbon habitats: Storm Protection

U.S. coastal wetlands provide $23.2 billion storm protection benefits annually(Constanza et al., 2008)

• “Protecting the city, before next time” New York Times, Nov. 3, 2012

• Creative ecosystem protection ideas for NY

• Blue carbon habitats, A LOT MORE THAN JUST CARBON SINKS!

Interest in “green infrastructure” and “living shorelines” for storm protectionInterest in “green infrastructure” and “living shorelines” for storm protection

Blue Carbon: One more reason to love the oceans and coasts!

Check out the NOS recent podcast on coastal blue carbon!http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/may14/mw124-bluecarbon.html

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 24

Questions?ariana.sutton-grier@noaa.govamber.moore@noaa.gov

For more information see: http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/coastalbluecarbon.html

Additional Slides

Additional Coastal Blue Carbon Info & Websites• NOAA NERRS project

http://wbnerrwetlandscarbon.net/

• UNEP Blue Carbon Info Pages http://bluecarbonport

al.org/ http://bluecarbonblog.

blogspot.com/• GEF Blue Forests

Project http://www.grida.no/

marine/activities/blue-carbon.aspx