Blue carbon ecosystems as climate solutions: Sequestration across coastal and marine environments

Authors

• Allison K. White, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• Richard J. Kline, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
• Md. Saydur Rahman, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2026

Abstract

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses, sequester significant amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. These ecosystems capture and store carbon in biomass and sediments over long periods. Other marine ecosystems, including the open ocean, kelp forests, bivalve reefs, and coral reefs, have been excluded from the BCEs, but they have the potential to serve as crucial blue carbon sinks or to support adjacent BCEs. Climate change, however, poses severe threats to these ecosystems. Rising sea levels, increasing temperatures, and ocean acidification can lead to habitat loss, reduced biodiversity, and impaired carbon sequestration capacity. Consequently, anthropogenic degradation of BCEs releases stored carbon back into the atmosphere, exacerbating climate change. Despite these challenges, BCEs represent important natural climate solutions because conserving and restoring these ecosystems can enhance carbon storage, support biodiversity, and provide additional benefits for local communities. Active restoration, protection, and effective management strategies can increase ecosystem resilience and maintain long-term carbon capacity. Emerging marine geoengineering approaches, including enhanced weathering, iron fertilization, and artificial upwelling have been proposed as potential methods to increase ocean carbon storage; however, these approaches remain largely experimental and face substantial uncertainties regarding scalability, environmental impacts, carbon permanence, and feasibility. Therefore, future climate mitigation strategies should prioritize conservation and restoration of BCEs while continuing to evaluate emerging technologies as potential complementary approaches to enhance marine carbon storage.

Comments

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Recommended Citation

White, Allison K., Richard J. Kline, and Md Saydur Rahman. "Blue carbon ecosystems as climate solutions: Sequestration across coastal and marine environments." Environmental Advances (2026): 100751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2026.100751

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Publication Title

Environmental Advances

DOI

10.1016/j.envadv.2026.100751