In recent decades, scientists have increasingly warned about the consequences of the climate crisis looming over the planet. The world has already faced more extreme heatwaves and droughts, but scientists caution that climate change will only accelerate until humanity finally reduces the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, as reported by PHYS.org.
Another issue is the staggering amount of carbon that has accumulated in Earth's atmosphere, warming the planet. The oceans and forests are among the largest carbon reservoirs on Earth; however, scientists are desperately searching for new locations that could potentially serve as effective storage sites.
In a new study, an international team of scientists with diverse expertise found evidence that carbon storage beneath seaweed farms could accumulate an incredible amount of carbon.
In their research, the scientists analyzed data from several seaweed farms worldwide, ranging in age from 2 to 300 years and covering areas from 1 to 15,000 hectares. The authors of the study note that they focused on the potential of seaweed farms to extract carbon from the marine environment. It is suggested that this could allow the Earth’s oceans to absorb more carbon without causing catastrophic side effects, such as mass coral die-offs.
During the study, the researchers analyzed data collected by operators of around twenty seaweed farms globally. According to the data, which includes measurements of carbon sequestered under the seaweed, older farms sequestered more carbon than newer ones.
The results of the researchers’ work also indicate that some of the oldest sea farms sequestered up to 140 metric tons of carbon per hectare. The team also discovered that the average amount of carbon buried beneath all the studied farms was twice as much as that found in the sediment layers near the farms.
Now, scientists believe that cultivating seaweed, especially in areas where sediments accumulate naturally, could sequester carbon at a rate similar to that observed in some coastal environments, such as mangrove forests.