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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Importance of Blue Carbon in Mitigating Climate Change and Plastic/Microplastic Pollution and Promoting Circular Economy
ClearA review of tropical blue carbon ecosystems for climate change mitigation
This review examines how tropical blue carbon ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrass beds, and seaweed farms, help capture and store carbon to combat climate change. Researchers highlight that these coastal habitats face increasing threats from pollution, including plastic contamination, which can undermine their ability to sequester carbon. The study calls for better preservation and restoration of these ecosystems, noting significant knowledge gaps about their long-term carbon storage potential.
Distinct impacts of microplastics on the carbon sequestration capacity of coastal blue carbon ecosystems: A case of seagrass beds
Researchers examined how microplastic pollution affects the ability of seagrass beds to capture and store carbon, a process important for combating climate change. Evidence indicates that microplastics can alter sediment properties, disrupt microbial communities, and inhibit seagrass growth, all of which reduce carbon storage capacity. The study highlights that microplastic contamination may be undermining one of nature's key tools for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Blue carbon sediments as effective sinks for microplastics: A global meta-analysis
This global meta-analysis of 54 studies found that blue carbon ecosystems (mangroves, salt marshes, seagrass meadows) accumulate significantly more microplastics in their sediments than unvegetated tidal flats, with mangroves showing the strongest effect. Microplastic burial rates in these ecosystems have increased exponentially by 2.7% per year since the 1950s, roughly double the rate in bare sediments.
Plastics in blue carbon ecosystems: a call for global cooperation on climate change goals
Researchers warn that plastic pollution is increasingly accumulating in coastal blue carbon ecosystems — tidal marshes, mangroves, and seagrass meadows — which are critical carbon sinks, and argue that plastic-related carbon emissions must be factored into global climate goals before growing plastic stocks undermine these vital ecosystems.
Microplastics distribution in different habitats of Ximen Island and the trapping effect of blue carbon habitats on microplastics
Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution across five coastal ecosystems on Ximen Island and found that blue carbon habitats such as mangroves and saltmarshes act as significant traps for microplastics, concentrating them in sediments over time.
Enhanced MicroplasticBurial in China’s CoastalBlue Carbon Ecosystems: Drivers and Potential Roles in Climate ChangeMitigation
Researchers mapped microplastic stocks in China's coastal blue carbon ecosystems (mangroves, saltmarshes, seagrasses), finding that these habitats trap 1.3–3.8 times more microplastics than bare tidal flats, with rainfall, river runoff, and land use as key drivers.
New Insights into the Microplastic Enrichment in the Blue Carbon Ecosystem: Evidence from Seagrass Meadows and Mangrove Forests in Coastal South China Sea
Researchers studied how seagrass meadows and mangrove forests in the South China Sea trap microplastics, finding enrichment of 1.3 to 17.6 times compared to unvegetated sites, with a strong positive correlation between microplastic abundance and organic carbon content (Pearson R = 0.86).
Enhanced Microplastic Burial in China’s Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems: Drivers and Potential Roles in Climate Change Mitigation
Researchers measured microplastic stocks in coastal blue carbon ecosystems along the Chinese coastline and found that these environments significantly enhance the trapping and burial of microplastic particles in sediments. Microplastic-derived carbon storage ranged from 0.01 to 104.4 kg of carbon per hectare across the study sites. The study suggests that while blue carbon ecosystems act as sinks for microplastic pollution, this buried plastic carbon may need to be accounted for in coastal carbon budget assessments.
Microplastic contamination in Southeast Asia’s blue carbon habitats – systematic review paper with bibliometric approach
This systematic review examines microplastic contamination in Southeast Asia's mangrove forests and seagrass meadows, critical ecosystems that store carbon and support biodiversity. The findings show that these blue carbon habitats are increasingly contaminated with microplastics, threatening both ecosystem health and the coastal communities that depend on these environments for food and livelihood.
Blue Carbon and Microplastic Sequestration in Coastal Habitats of the Philippines
This study documents rates of organic carbon and microplastic sequestration in Philippine coastal vegetated habitats, using high-resolution sediment cores to reconstruct historical pollution inputs and assess the potential of blue carbon ecosystems for climate mitigation and contaminant storage.
Revealing microplastic and anthropogenic microparticles contamination in tidal blue carbon ecosystems from eastern Brazil
Researchers compared microplastic accumulation in mangrove and salt marsh sediments in Todos os Santos Bay, Brazil, finding that salt marshes contained at least 38 percent more anthropogenic microparticles than mangroves. Fibers were the dominant particle type across both ecosystems, likely originating from synthetic textiles and fishing activities, highlighting the role of these coastal blue carbon ecosystems as sinks for microplastic pollution.
The combined effects of microplastics and their additives on mangrove system: From the sinks to the sources of carbon
This review examined how microplastics and plastic additives (including flame retardants and phthalate plasticizers) affect carbon sequestration in mangrove blue carbon ecosystems, finding that MPs can shift mangroves from carbon sinks to potential carbon sources by disrupting soil organic carbon storage and microbial decomposition.
Microplastics in coastal blue carbon ecosystems: A global Meta-analysis of its distribution, driving mechanisms, and potential risks
Microplastic abundance in blue carbon ecosystems showed the highest concentrations in Asia, especially South and Southeast Asia, with distribution influenced by vegetation habitat, climate, and river runoff. Large fish showed significant microplastic accumulation, and the effect of microplastics on sediment organic carbon varied by ecosystem type, challenging the assumption that microplastics increase carbon sequestration.
Mangrove Health: A Review of Functions, Threats, and Challenges Associated with Mangrove Management Practices
This review describes how mangrove forests protect coastlines, store carbon, and support marine life, but are under increasing threat from development, pollution, and climate change. Mangrove loss matters for microplastic pollution because these ecosystems act as natural filters that can trap plastic particles before they spread further into the ocean and food chain.
Past, Present and Future of Sri Lankan Coastal Macrophyte-Dominated Ecosystems: Blue Carbon, Conservation, Restoration and Policy
This review examines the past, present, and future of Sri Lanka's coastal macrophyte ecosystems — mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses — highlighting their critical roles in blue carbon sequestration, biodiversity support, and coastal protection, and noting Sri Lanka's pioneering legislation to protect all remaining mangrove forests.
Carbon Cycling in Wetlands Under the Shadow of Microplastics: Challenges and Prospects
This review examines how microplastics disrupt carbon cycling in wetlands, which are critical ecosystems for capturing and storing carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change. Microplastics can damage plant roots, alter soil microbial communities, and accelerate the breakdown of stored organic carbon, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. The findings highlight that microplastic pollution may undermine wetlands' ability to help regulate the climate.
Impact of elevated environmental pollutants on carbon storage in mangrove wetlands: A comprehensive review
Researchers synthesized global studies on pollutant impacts in mangrove wetlands — which store about 10% of coastal ocean carbon — finding that microplastics reduce carbon stocks by 1-12% by impairing photosynthesis and destabilizing sediments, while heavy metals and oil spills compound the damage to these critical climate carbon sinks.
Plastic Pollution as a Driver of Seagrass Ecosystem Degradation: a Systematic Review of Impacts and Mitigation Approaches
This systematic review examines how plastic pollution threatens seagrass ecosystems, which are vital for carbon storage, coastal protection, and marine biodiversity. Microplastics and larger debris smother seagrass beds, block light, and introduce harmful chemicals into sediments. Losing these habitats has cascading effects on fish populations and the communities that depend on healthy coastal waters.
Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment – Effects on Ocean Carbon Sequestration and Sustenance of Marine Life
This review examines how microplastic pollution in marine environments disrupts ocean carbon sequestration and marine life sustenance, with sources including city dust, tires, synthetic textiles, and personal care products contributing to far-reaching ecological consequences.
Tidal variation shaped microplastic enrichment patterns in mangrove blue carbon ecosystem of northern Beibu Gulf, China
Researchers found that tidal variation significantly shapes microplastic distribution in mangrove sediments of the Beibu Gulf, with higher microplastic abundance in high-tide zones, suggesting mangroves act as effective sinks for microplastic pollution.
Blue carbon and microplastic dynamics in natural and planted mangroves, Thailand
A study comparing natural and planted mangrove forests in Thailand found that natural mangroves store significantly more blue carbon in their sediments, but both types accumulate microplastics, with contamination patterns varying by forest structure and proximity to human activity. This is important because mangroves are increasingly relied upon as carbon sinks in climate strategies, but microplastic contamination could compromise their ecological integrity and carbon storage function.
Recent advances in the research on effects of micro/nanoplastics on carbon conversion and carbon cycle: A review
This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics are disrupting the global carbon cycle, the natural process that moves carbon through the environment. Microplastics interfere with the microorganisms that help convert and store carbon, and they reduce the ability of oceans and coastal ecosystems to absorb carbon dioxide. These disruptions could worsen climate change, which in turn affects food production and human well-being.
Mangrove Ecosystem, Seagrass, Coral Reef: its Role in Self-Purification and Carrying Capacity in Coastal Areas
This review examined how mangrove ecosystems, seagrass beds, and coral reefs provide natural purification services and support coastal biodiversity. These ecosystems are also highly vulnerable to microplastic pollution, which can smother corals, be ingested by seagrass fauna, and accumulate in mangrove sediments.
Human activities altered the enrichment patterns of microplastics in mangrove blue carbon ecosystem in the semi-enclosed Zhanjiang Bay, China
This study found that mangrove forests in Zhanjiang Bay, China, contained about 1.6 times more microplastics in their sediments than nearby non-mangrove areas, showing that these ecosystems trap and accumulate plastic pollution. Human activities were identified as the key factor driving different contamination patterns between mangrove and non-mangrove areas. Since mangroves are important coastal ecosystems that support fisheries and protect shorelines, their contamination with microplastics could affect the marine food web and the communities that depend on these resources.