Blue Carbon

Carbon cycle

Ocean surface

1 020

Units of Carbon used. This report will use Tg C, but read- ers will also see values for C and CO 2 , provided in a wide range of formats. The following information may assist in wider reading. Definition: Measuring Carbon

50

Dissolved organic C

650

40

6

Factor 10 3 10 6 10 9

Name One thousand

Symbol k (Kilo) M (Mega) G (Giga)

- - -- - - - - -- - - 3

50

Marine biota

Labile dissolved organic C

One million One billion One trillion

4

10 12 10 15

T (Tera) P (Peta)

6

100

1km 2 = 100ha 1 ton = 2,240lbs 1 (metric) ton = 1,000kg or 1x10 6 g Blue carbon sinks capture CO 2 through photosynthesis from the air and water and store it as carbon.

Deep ocean

The rate of converting C to CO 2 is 44/12; i.e. 1 aton of C is equivalent to 3.67t CO 2

38 100

0.2

 Figure 1: Carbon Cycle. Oceans are crucial in the global carbon cycle. It was here where life first evolved; they are the source of our wealth and development. The living oceans capture over half of all the Green carbon – the car- bon bound by living organisms through photosynthesis.

150

Sediments

13

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