Blue Carbon

EPA Region 1 The Blue Carbon Reservoirs from Maine to Long Island, NY

This document reflects the efforts and results of the Blue Carbon Reservoirs from Maine to Long Island, New York Project and New England Blue Carbon Inventory Workgroup, including identification and collection of updated habitat maps for eelgrass beds and salt marshes across New England and calculations for blue carbon stock inventories.

Factors influencing carbons stocks and accumulation rates in eelgrass meadows across New England, USA. Novak et al. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00754-9 Novak et al. 2020 correction. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00754-9

Species traits and geomorphic setting as drivers of global soil carbon stocks in seagrass meadows. Kennedy et al. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GB007481

Spatial heterogeneity in sediment and carbon accretion rates within a seagrass meadow correlated with the hydrodynamic intensity. Lei et al. 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158685

NJDEP Advances Efforts to Sequester Carbon, Fight Climate Change through Management of Natural and Working Lands Program

Russ Babb, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

“Complementing the NJDEP’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build greater climate resilience, NJDEP and the NJ Department of Agriculture initiated a strategy for managing natural and working lands that is intended to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere contributing to global warming.

The strategy will ultimately present a set of statewide policies and recommendations for the management of natural and working lands, the actions necessary to implement those recommendations within a proposed timeframe, and the associated carbon sequestration benefits. A good deal of attention from the Natural and Working Lands initiative has been spent on coastal wetlands and coastal aquatic resources and habitats (with particular focus on submerged aquatic vegetation).”

-Habitat Hotline Atlantic 2023 Issue, Volume 1 pg 19-20

NJDEP Makes $15M Investment in NatureBased Infrastructure to Fight Climate Change

“NJDEP launched a new blue and green carbon grant program that will invest $15 million in projects across New Jersey that create, restore and enhance salt marshes, submerged aquatic vegetation habitat, forests, and urban parks that sequester atmospheric carbon in the fight against climate change. Through this program, New Jersey became one of the first states to invest proceeds from Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auctions into natural resource restoration and enhancement projects.

For more information, contact Russ Babb at Russell.Babb@dep.nj.gov”

-Habitat Hotline Atlantic 2023 Issue, Volume 1 pg 19-20