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    Seagrass Core Sampled to analyse

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Seagrass soils as biogeochemical sinks and palaeoenvironmental tools for management

Human activities are causing the decline of coastal ecosystems worldwide. Although monitoring is used to understand change in coastal ecosystems, it rarely pre-dates environmental changes caused by ancient human activities. However, palaeoenvironmental reconstructions can provide information on long-term cycles (decadal to millennial scales), trends and processes in coastal environments with the potential to decipher human and natural impact through time. Seagrass ecosystems accumulate organic-rich soils that can be used to reconstruct environmental change over millennial timescales and constitute significant biogeochemical sinks at global scales. Nevertheless, understanding of their long-term sequestration capacity and the mechanisms involved remain poor.

This research will attempt to

  1. estimate the loss of carbon and nitrogen stocks following seagrass decline due to eutrophication, providing information for the implementation of carbon crediting through seagrass conservation;
  2. identify the role of glomalin-related soil protein in carbon sequestration by tidal marsh, mangrove and seagrass ecosystems;
  3. explore the potential of glomalin-related soil protein in seagrass sediments to reconstruct land-use change in Australia; and
  4. reconstruct environmental change in a South American settlement since European colonization, providing information on baseline conditions and thresholds of the main factors leading to seagrass loss.

The research has the potential to influence decision-making, contributing to the conservation and valuation of coastal ecosystems while providing a comprehensive overview of long-term cycles, trends, processes, and environmental change as a result of natural and anthropogenic stressors.

Funding agency

Currently in proposal stage

Project Duration

2017-2020

Researchers

Cristian Salinas (PhD Student)
Dr Oscar Serrano
Prof. Paul Lavery
Dr Fernanda Adame (Griffith University)
Dr Lourdes López-Merino

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