The Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project

Blue Carbon ecosystems provide a highly valuable service by sequestering and storing atmospheric carbon

Mangroves

Salt marshes

Seagrasses

Different ecosystems absorb CO 2 from the atmosphere at different rates. Coastal ecosystems have a very high sequestration rate

The carbon sequestered is then stored in the living biomass of plants, its above ground part

Visit abudhabi.bluecarbonportal.org to find out more about Blue Carbon resource in Abu Dhabi.

ABOVE GROUND

BELOW GROUND

The largest amount of carbon is stored by the plants in the soil, below the ground level

Organic carbon stored Tons of Carbonper Km 2

Higher estimate Lower estimate

Ecosystem service value Thousand US Dollars per hectare per year

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

205 000

Coral Reefs

Coastal Wetlands

Coastal System Inland Wetlands

100 000

Tropical Forests Rivers and lakes Temperate Forests

50 000

Sources: Schile, L., etal ., in preparation, Carbon stocks in arid coastal environments. For submission into Ecosystems ; Murray, B., C., et al., Green Payments for Blue Carbon Economic Incentives for ProtectingThreatened Coastal Habitats, Nikolas Institute, Duke University, 2011. RICCARDOPRAVETTONI/GRID-Arendal2013

Grasslands Woodlands Open Ocean

10 000

1 000