Evaluating the Current and Future Capacity for Natural Climate Solutions in Canada’s Oceans

Climate change is rapidly altering the planet, and solutions are urgently required to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and limit further warming. Blue carbon ecosystems (salt marshes, seagrass meadows, kelp forests, marine soft sediments) are important carbon reservoirs that could contribute to Canada’s climate change solutions. Yet, despite having the world’s longest coastline, Canada has yet to account for ocean carbon sinks in its GHG inventories. Interns in this project will: 1) quantify the marine soft-sediment carbon sinks that could be preserved by limiting Canada’s bottom-trawl footprint (PDF1); 2) quantify the current and future annual mitigation potential of kelp forest ecosystems on the British Columbia coast (PhD1) and nationwide (PDF2); 3) synthesize these results with our complementary ongoing work for eelgrass and salt marsh ecosystems to produce a nationwide assessment of the potential for Canada’s oceans to contribute to natural climate solutions (PDF2).

Faculty Supervisor:

Julia Baum

Student:

Partner:

Oceans North;Kelp Rescue Initiative

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Other services (except public administration); Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Victoria

Program: