Geochemical analyses in varved lake sediment cores (Lake Montcortès, Pre-Pyrenees) allowed reconstruction of mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) atmospheric deposition over the past seven centuries in the Pyrenees (NE Spain). Accumulation Rates (AR) from the Middle Ages to the Industrial…
Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) constitutes the largest terrestrial carbon pool. The understanding of its dynamics and the environmental factors that influence its behaviour as sink or source of atmospheric CO2 is crucial to quantify the carbon budget at the global…
There is an increasing concern on how human activities could affect the ecosystems of the Galapagos Islands, a hot-spot for biodiversity recognized worldwide. Despite the high number of studies related to the ecological relationships between species in these islands, almost…
The spatial extent over which meadows of submerged aquatic vegetation, such as seagrass, have an ecological and environmental influence is tightly limited by the exchange of water across canopy boundaries. In coastal environments, the process of vertical mixing can govern…
Australia’s tidal marshes have suffered significant losses but their recently recognised importance in CO2sequestration is creating opportunities for their protection and restoration. We compiled all available data on soil organic carbon (OC) storage in Australia’s tidal marshes (323 cores). OC…
Coastal eutrophication is one of the principal factors causing the loss of seagrass meadows worldwide. The loss of seagrass canopy after a disturbance may enhance the loss of sedimentary Organic Carbon (Corg) and Nitrogen (N) stocks through resuspension and remineralization,…
The capacity of blue carbon ecosystems (defined in this report to include mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses) to sequester carbon dioxide and mitigate climate change is generating significant interest among scientists and policy makers worldwide. The carbon stored within these…
“Blue carbon” ecosystems, which include tidal marshes, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows, have large stocks of organic carbon (Corg) in their soils. These carbon stocks are vulnerable to decomposition and – if degraded – can be released to the atmosphere…
Seagrass meadows provide crucial ecosystem services to the coastal zone but are threatened globally. Seagrass loss to date has mainly been attributed to anthropogenic activities that reduce light quantity (amount of photosynthetic photon flux density), such as dredging, flooding and…
The Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica maintains a biodiverse ecosystem and it is a world-wide important carbon sink. It grows for millennia, accumulating organic-rich soils (mats) beneath the meadows. This marine habitat is protected by the European Union; however, it is…