Blue Carbon: The Climate Solution Hidden Along Our Coasts

Blue carbon ecosystems, including salt marshes, mangroves, and seagrass beds, play a vital role in climate change mitigation by capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide and storing it in coastal soils and sediments for decades to centuries. Carbon fixed through photosynthesis is transferred to waterlogged, low-oxygen sediments, where decomposition is slow. Among these systems, mangroves store the greatest belowground carbon because of their woody biomass, dense root networks, and high sediment-trapping capacity. Although they occupy limited coastal areas, blue carbon ecosystems make a disproportionate contribution to long-term carbon sequestration while also supporting shoreline protection and livelihoods, highlighting the importance of their conservation and management.