Global warming is a major problem not only due to the rise in temperature, but also due to the frequency of abnormal weather events (climate change). Global warming and climate change are making it difficult for humans to live, and in some areas, making it impossible to live there.

Carbon (C: carbon) stored by plants (green) from the air through photosynthesis.
By storing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) in the form of carbon, it suppresses the rise in atmospheric CO2 concentration.

Green carbon in the sea (blue).
Marine plants and ecosystems are also making a major contribution to halting global warming, but their habitat area continues to decrease.

90% of the CO2 on Earth is in the ocean.

The amount of carbon stored in nature in the ocean is greater than on land in a year. This shows that blue carbon is important in suppressing global warming.

Carbon storage rate per unit area is 20 to 30 times faster in marine plants (green carbon) than in tropical rainforests, especially in coastal flowering vegetation areas such as seagrass beds, mangroves, and salt marshes. .

Sea area shallower than the continental shelf (depth 200m).

Deep waters offshore from the continental shelf.

Seagrass bed. The seagrass beds here represent the eelgrass communities (eelgrass beds) that are dominant in Japan. Seagrasses, which are seed plants, spread their underground stems and roots through sand and mud, and together with the accumulated leaves, they store carbon in the form of blue carbon.

Seaweed bed. The roots of seaweed stick to the surface of rocks and do not remain underground once they dry up and decompose, so they have a lower carbon storage capacity than seaweed, but they are a breeding ground for various organisms in the ecosystem. Its importance is also very high.

mangrove. Their carbon storage rate is superior to that of seagrass beds, but their habitat is restricted to tropical to subtropical regions. It is extremely important as a habitat for various creatures.

phytoplankton. A general term for many single-celled algae that perform photosynthesis and absorb C (carbon) from CO2.

coral reef. Corals are animals, but reef-building corals that live in shallow waters live symbiotically by incorporating algae called zooxanthellae into their bodies.As the zooxanthellae photosynthesize, coral reefs absorb and store CO2. To go.

Wetlands and marshes (salt marshes) located on the coast. Wetlands and swamps located on the coast, and due to the influence of the tides due to their proximity to the sea, they are either flooded with salt water or brackish water depending on the time of day, or become land.

Carbon taken into plants from the atmosphere is transferred to various living things through food chains and food webs. Some of the dead organisms are deposited on the ocean floor, and the carbon contained therein is also stored on the ocean floor.

Seagrass beds, seaweed beds, mangroves, coral reefs, etc. serve as spawning grounds, hiding places, and feeding grounds for various creatures, and also have the function of calming waves. Maintaining a healthy environment creates a rich ecosystem, and as the number of species and individuals increases, the amount of carbon stored within the ecosystem also increases.
As the young fish grow and the young and adult fish move to offshore habitats, they have a large impact on the surrounding waters.

In Japan, seagrass beds such as eelgrass beds are widely distributed from Hokkaido to Okinawa. However, due to land reclamation, decreased transparency (unable to photosynthesize), and disruption of ecosystem balance, the environment suitable for habitat has disappeared, and seagrass beds are decreasing.

Seagrass beds such as eelgrass beds have a high carbon storage capacity because they are widely distributed around the world, can store carbon underground, and can store carbon at a fast rate, and are attracting attention as the main source of blue carbon.