NOAA Science Seminar Series

Title: Mud matters: Understanding the role of ocean sediments in storing carbon

Presenters:  Sara Hutto, Greater Farallones Association and Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries; Doug George, NOAA Office for Coastal Management.

Sponsors: NOAA National MPA Center and OCTO 

Seminar Contact: Zac Cannizzo, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." target="_blank">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Location: Webinar

Remote Access: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4558818632597468505

Abstract: The sediments of the vast ocean floor represent the world’s largest non-fossil pool of organic carbon, yet they are not well-studied or protected. The carbon in these sediments can remain stored for thousands to millions of years; however, activities such as mining, oil and gas exploration, and bottom-contact fishing can disturb sediment, resuspending it into the water column and potentially remineralizing carbon into aqueous CO2. Current understanding of marine sediment carbon along the US West Coast is limited, constraining meaningful management and protection of these critically important carbon sinks. The Greater Farallones Association, in partnership with NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) and NOAA’s Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, conducted the first systematic evaluation of marine sedimentary carbon stocks in North-central California. This webinar will discuss the importance of marine sediments in global carbon sequestration and storage. It will also present the results of this study, including an estimate of the carbon stock within the Sanctuaries’ marine sediments and identification of carbon “hot-spots” on the seafloor based on a novel spatial model of carbon density.

Are our seminars recorded? Yes, you can find them here (https://marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov/resources/webinars/archive.html)

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{Sara Hutto, Greater Farallones Association and Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries; Doug George, NOAA Office for Coastal Management}