Project description
The role of emerging polar ecosystems in global climate
The rapid pace of climate change in high-latitude seas is leading to the emergence of new ecosystems in both coastal regions and the open ocean. With this in mind, the EU-funded SEA-Quester project explores these emerging polar ecosystems, assessing their potential for blue carbon sequestration, impact on marine biodiversity, and role in the global climate system. The project will examine all forms of blue carbon in coastal, pelagic, and benthic marine ecosystems, as well as develop a blue carbon accounting system for this purpose. SEA-Quester will establish a method for quantifying the trade-off between harvesting marine biomass and its net contribution to carbon sequestration through the Biomass-Sequestration amplification factor. It will also provide recommendations.
Objective
The rapid pace of climate change in high latitude seas is promoting the emergence of novel ecosystems in coastal regions as well as in the open ocean. SEA-Quester, in accordance with the work program (HORIZON-CL6-2023-CLIMATE-01-3), will conduct field surveys, process studies and model analyses to improve our understanding of the causes and consequences of these emerging polar ecosystems; their potential for blue carbon sequestration, their implications for marine biodiversity, and their role in the global eco-bio-geo-chemical climate system. SEA-Quester will do so with a rigorous analysis of blue carbon stocks and their dynamics, laying the foundations for a fit-for-purpose blue carbon accounting with balance sheets for not just carbon sequestration, but other impacted marine ecosystem services such as fisheries production. SEA-Quester considers all forms of blue carbon in coastal, pelagic, and benthic novel marine ecosystems, living and dead, in the water column and in the sediments, and uses a mechanistic approach to reduce uncertainties in model predictions. A key outcome of SEA-Quester will be to develop a thorough means of quantifying the trade-off between harvesting marine biomass and its net contribution to carbon sequestration: the Biomass-Sequestration amplification factor. SEA-Quester will ensure effective exploitation of the project results in international scientific assessments of Blue Carbon potential and by policy-makers (specifically targeting Nationally Determined Contribution estimates), to ensure dialogue, communication and dissemination to National and European governmental bodies, European citizens and NGO’s, and to provide recommendations for optimizing the monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem services in emerging polar environments.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmarine biology
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesfisheries
- social sciencespolitical sciencespolitical policiescivil societynongovernmental organizations
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
2800 Kongens Lyngby
Denmark