Question
Q19. What is blue carbon ?
- Carbon captured by oceans and coastal ecosystems
- Carbon sequestered in forest biomass and agricultural soils
- Carbon contained in petroleum and natural gas
- Carbon present in atmosphere
Answer: A
Detailed Explanation
Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems. Hence, Option A is correct.
The coastal ecosystems of mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows contain large stores of carbon deposited by vegetation and various natural processes over centuries.
These ecosystems sequester and store more carbon, often referred to as ‘blue carbon’ per unit area than terrestrial forests.
The ability of these vegetated ecosystems to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere makes them significant net carbon sinks, and they are now being recognised for their role in mitigating climate change.
Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows sequester and store more carbon per unit area than terrestrial forests and are now being recognised for their role in mitigating climate change.
These ecosystems also provide essential benefits for climate change adaptation, including coastal protection and food security for many coastal communities.
