The Wildlife Trusts have unveiled a series of landmark reports that reveal how UK seabed habitats store a whooping 244 million tonnes of carbon in just the top 10 cm of the seabed! The Blue Carbon Mapping Project, led by the Scottish Association for Marine Science on behalf of WWF, The Wildlife Trusts and RSPB, has produced the first comprehensive estimate of blue carbon in UK and Isle of Man Seas and Marine Protected Areas. With 98% of UK blue carbon being stored in seabed sediments it is vital to protect them from damaging activities to prevent carbon from being released and worsening climate change. The establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) would help safeguard these environments and regulate activities at sea.
Read more about the research here and watch a short film about it on YouTube.