Seagrass Meadows

Seagrass covers just 0.1% of the seafloor but stores 11% of the ocean's buried organic carbon. See also Mangroves on Deforestation.

Image: NASA/KSC.

The Five W's of Seagrass

Who

Nature, protected by NOAA and coastal partners.

Source: NOAA Fisheries

What

Underwater flowering plants forming meadows.

Source: NOAA Fisheries

When

Year-round, storing carbon over long periods.

Source: NOAA, Blue carbon

Where

Shallow coastal waters worldwide.

Source: NOAA Fisheries

Why

Carbon storage and fish nurseries.

Source: NOAA, Blue carbon

Source: NOAA Fisheries

Impact Statement

Natural solution · active

Seagrass meadows cover just 0.1 percent of the world's seafloor but store 11 percent of the organic carbon buried in the ocean, NOAA says. They are also nurseries: a single acre of seagrass can support almost 40,000 fish, and animal abundance in grassbeds is 10 to 100 times higher than over nearby sand.

Source: NOAA, Blue carbon fast facts

Source: NOAA Fisheries, Submerged aquatic vegetation

See also Mangroves.

For Further Information: NOAA, Blue carbon fast facts

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