Seagrass sediment organic carbon burial rates are globally significant
Abstract Crucial for coastal carbon sequestration, global seagrass organic carbon (OC) burial rates remain uncertain as early estimates were derived from mixed methodologies across geographically and taxonomically biased datasets. Here, we present a data-driven reassessment from a synthesis of 332 sediment cores spanning the last century. Results show that seagrasses bury OC at 25 ± 3 g OC m −2 yr −1 (geometric mean), with an area-weighted global average of 33 ± 9 g OC m −2 yr −1 . Rates reflect a balance between sediment OC content and sediment accumulation, which share a negative exponential relationship driven by mineral dilution. Based on a revised mapped seagrass extent (247,700–366,400 km 2 ), global burial scales to 6–15 Tg C yr −1 . Although one-fourth of earlier benchmarks, seagrasses account for 3–4% to 3–6% of total oceanic OC burial despite covering <0.1% of the seafloor. Combined with mangroves and tidal marshes, vegetated coastal ecosystems contribute 8–13% of oceanic OC burial.
Authors
- Anna Lafratta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8414-2417)
- Milica Stankovic (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1844-8121)
- Pere Masqué (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1789-320X)
- James W. Fourqurean (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0811-8500)
- Paul S. Lavery (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5162-273X)
- Johannes Renke Krause (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5721-6353)
- Ariane Arias‐Ortiz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9408-0061)
- Chuancheng Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5982-6809)
- Jordi García-Orellana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0543-2641)
- Axel Werner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9445-8570)
- Marlene Wesselmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8688-6399)
- Núria Marbà (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8048-6789)
- Dimitris Poursanidis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3228-280X)
- Carmen Leiva‐Dueñas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8974-9883)
- Inés Mazarrasa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5476-9953)
- Óscar Serrano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5973-0046)
- Hilary Kennedy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2290-2120)
- Cristian Salinas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4716-5991)
- Carlos Manuel Duarte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1213-1361)
- Miguel Á. Mateo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7567-0277)
- Phil Colarusso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3127-8713)
- Nerea Piñeiro
Institutions
- Edith Cowan University (AU)
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES)
- Universidad de Cantabria (ES)
- Prince of Songkla University (TH)
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (US)
- Bangor University (GB)
- Florida International University (US)
- Aarhus University (DK)
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (ES)
- Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (ES)
- Environmental Protection Agency (IE)
- IHCantabria - Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental de la Universidad de Cantabria (ES)
- Universidade de Vigo (ES)
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA)
- Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (GR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-11-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-79168-3
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.62
Funders
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación