ToSeaweedCarbon

Seaweeds are remarkably efficient at capturing carbon. But capturing carbon is only half of the story.

How much of that carbon actually stays captured?

ToSeaweedCarbon investigates what happens to carbon after it is incorporated into seaweed biomass. In French temperate kelp forests, we will measure two major carbon-loss processes, respiration and biomass loss, and determine how they vary across time, from day-night cycles to seasonal dynamics.

The experimental data will then be combined with other carbon-loss pathways to build a predictive mathematical model of seaweed carbon emissions. Rather than looking only at how much carbon seaweeds capture, this approach asks a more fundamental question:

How much carbon do seaweeds realistically keep?

The project forms part of a broader doctoral thesis project spanning tropical, temperate and polar environments. By integrating data from Brazil, France and Antarctica, we aim to move towards a global framework for predicting seaweed carbon emissions across tropical, temperate and polar environments.

Ultimately, ToSeaweedCarbon seeks to improve our understanding of the carbon balance of seaweed ecosystems and provide a stronger scientific basis for assessing their potential as nature-based solutions for climate mitigation.

The work also has an applied dimension and furthers industry-readiness. Better quantification of both carbon stocks and carbon losses is essential for determining whether, and under what conditions, seaweeds could contribute to blue carbon accounting and carbon-crediting frameworks.