A system for measuring the carbon storage capacity of different habitats
A few months ago, a study was carried out to investigate the carbon storage capacity of various land and marine habitats. Its aim was to improve understanding of how much individual ecosystems contribute towards mitigating the carbon dioxide load released into the atmosphere every day due to human activity.
This research, by the European Environmental Agency, is the first of its kind and although there is some room for improvement, it has already provided some interesting results which will allow experts to understand how so-called ‘carbon capture’ works; an essential step in efforts to find efficient solutions to the delicate problem of climate change.
European Nature Information System and habitat classification
In order to gather reliable data to support their hypotheses, scientists decided to use a habitat classification system, encoded in the European Nature Information System (EUNIS).
This document lists and defines all the different types of land and marine ecosystems and describes their characteristics, properties and distinctive features. It is the perfect starting point to understand how each habitat responds to the carbon present in the atmosphere.
The two parameters most closely examined in the study were carbon capture and carbon storage capacity. The former indicates the percentage of carbon removed from the atmosphere by a particular habitat, while the latter analyses the amount stored (stock or deposit).
Another piece of data was also analysed: capture speed. This parameter is used to indicate how quickly an ecosystem can absorb carbon dioxide.
Research results and behaviour of different habitats
The results of the scientists’ observations during the study merely confirmed the differing capacity of individual ecosystems to eliminate and store carbon. Another important point also emerged however: the conclusion that the figures recorded are also influenced by secondary factors, such as:
- local climate;
- terrain conditions;
- availability of water and nutrients;
- topography of individual habitats.
Given the wide variations in these conditions, the data obtained should be considered indicative rather than definitive. For this reason, further research and experimentation will be required in future in order to enable scientists to establish actual absorption coefficients more precisely.
Bearing in mind this margin of variation, the study confirmed that forests represent the land habitat with the highest rate of carbon capture. Figures recorded in wooded areas are three times higher than those observed in wet zones and agricultural areas.
Despite the fact that their capture rate is not very high, wet zones have a good level of storage capacity, which can continue for centuries, transforming them into natural carbon warehouses. The properties of agricultural land areas, where carbon is mostly formed into biomasses, are much more limited.
The study also showed the incredible capacity of marine ecosystems to assimilate carbon dioxide (around 93% of the total present on earth). This quality makes them a kind of ‘carbon well’ for the biosphere, while their long term storage properties enable rival wet zones on land, as mentioned above.
Habitats therefore possess a significant intrinsic capacity to absorb polluting agents, although it is essential to develop recovery measures, able to limit emissions generated by human activity. Improving the biodiversity of the various areas is another efficient method of supporting ecosystems in their natural carbon storage process.
