Korean scientist highlights importance of blue carbon in tackling climate change

More attention should be paid to blue carbon, which refers to the carbon captured by the world’s ocean and coastal ecosystems, to address the challenges of carbon neutrality and climate change facing humanity, proposed a South Korean scientist.

“The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed annually by Korean mudflats, which cover an area of about 2,489 square kilometers, reaches a maximum of 480,000 tons,” said Khim Jong-seong, a professor at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Seoul National University. “This is equivalent to the emissions from about 200,000 cars every year.”

Khim further explained that this amount is also equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by about 73.40 million 30-year-old pine trees. Considering the land area occupied by these trees, Khim emphasized that mudflats are a highly cost-effective carbon sink in terms of area ratio.

Khim’s remarks were made in a keynote speech at a forum held at Seoul National University on Monday.

The arguments are based on the results obtained by Khim’s research team over a five-year period from 2017 to 2021.

Various plants living in mudflats absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. When plants die, they decompose and release carbon into the atmosphere on land, but in mudflats, dead plants are deposited in the sediment.

Mudflats have a very low oxygen environment, and carbon dioxide decomposes very slowly in the absence of oxygen. As a result, carbon dioxide is stored in the sediment instead of being released into the atmosphere by microbial decomposition.

The research team was the first to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by Korean mudflats.

However, due to a lack of related research, mudflats are not yet included in the definition of blue carbon as defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a government-to-government body on climate change.

The blue carbon recognized by the IPCC includes mangroves, which grow in tropical regions, seagrass beds, and salt marshes. None of these three categories are prevalent in Korea.

In May, the Korean government announced the “Blue Carbon Promotion Strategy,” which includes a plan to have mudflats included in the IPCC’s definition of blue carbon.

By recognizing the value of mudflats as blue carbon ecosystems, Korea aims to enhance its efforts in mitigating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality.