Seagrass Ecosystem and Climate Change: An Indian Perspective

Abstract

The significance of the seagrass ecosystem as global carbon sinks has been well studied worldwide; however, studies in India are sparse. Most research in India focuses on the distribution and ecology of seagrass and biogeochemistry has often been less studied. This paper describes the potential carbon sequestration, particularly carbon burial and uptake by seagrass ecosystems of India. The results reported the higher dissolved carbon uptake rates by seagrass ecosystem followed by high net ecosystem productivity. Below ground biomass dominated in the seagrass ecosystem which is a storehouse of buried carbon. High storage capacity of seagrass ecosystem is described through a case study of Chilika lagoon where the carbon pool in the biomass and sediments were observed to range from 2.3 to 2.5 Gg C and 4.5 to 5.7 Gg C respectively. The study emphasized on the need of focused research, particularly, on the role of carbon in seagrass ecosystems in India.