Lush greenery towers above you, shading out the sun. Life flourishes, animals flit between the fronds flashing colors everywhere you turn. As you swim through the forest… Yes, swim! Did you think this description was of a jungle? The Amazon and Taiga aren’t the only forests of incredible proportions and significance. Kelp forests support not only diversity but also carbon storage efforts. 

     While often overlooked, they store carbon at a faster rate than terrestrial forests. However, these rich algal gardens aren’t the only type of ocean based carbon sinks coined “Blue Carbon”. Others include seagrass meadows, mangroves, and algaes. 

     Climate change is the most pressing issue looming over humanity’s future. The impacts are already being felt in the form of altered weather patterns, such as droughts, more violent storms, and abnormal temperatures. These changes are visible, not just observed on a monitor or predicted on a graph. So now, more than ever, it’s crucial to understand the different ways to fight climate change. 

     Prevention involves actions which limit carbon emissions and stop the problem at the source. Reduction is the process of sequestering the carbon that has already been released into the atmosphere. But scientists have shown that limiting carbon emissions is no longer enough. Carbon capture is necessary to fight climate change. 

     Trees, peatland, soil. These are all typical terrestrial carbon sinks, but our ocean is far superior. Coastal blue carbon, such as mangroves and seagrasses, store carbon more quickly and keep it for longer due to fast growing plants and algaes. Additionally sediments in the ocean prevent the carbon from decomposing and rejoining the carbon cycle as quickly as soil on land. According to the World Bank coastal blue carbon is responsible for 50% of total ocean carbon storage. A prime example of this is mangroves, which can store five times the amount of carbon as terrestrial forests because of their quick growth and large root systems. However, mangroves are being destroyed around the world for development, shrimp farming, and other human uses. Perhaps we should be planting more mangroves in addition to maples and oaks? 

     Seagrasses, mangroves, and macroalgae represent a lifeline for the planet. Tragically, these watery ecosystems are threatened by many human activities such as removal for aquaculture, port infrastructure, and tourism. My beat will focus on Blue Carbon and the restoration of vital ocean ecosystems in the face of environmental degradation. Stick around and swim through the kelp forests and eelgrass meadows important to a healthy future.