84 / 2024-09-06 17:48:32

Towards sustainable blue futures: potential of farming seaweeds under the nexus of global change

Seaweed farming,Nature-based Solutions,Global Change

Session 61 - Advancing Blue Food Futures Towards Ocean Conservation and Global Resilience

The rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 levels and eutrophication pose significant risks to marine ecosystems. Seaweed farming offers a promising solution due to its dual benefits for climate and marine health. However, the potential of seaweed based marine environmental solution and impact of climate change on seaweed farming potential has not been well understood. In this study, two-step model has been developed to explore the interaction between seaweed farming and climate change. Our results indicate a global potential seaweed farming area of 3,369 million hectares, capable of removing 38.65 gigatons of carbon and 1.46 gigatons of nitrogen from the ocean. Additionally, 21.96 gigatons of carbon could be sequestered, and 103.35 gigatons of oxygen released. The potential varies by latitude, with higher latitudes better for climate mitigation and lower latitudes for nitrogen absorption. Ocean warming could reduce suitable farming areas by up to 50% at lower latitudes by 2050, though this may reverse by 2100 with different emission reduction plans. Overall, middle latitudes (30ºN - 60ºN) are most favorable under climate change impacts. This study highlights the need to integrate climate change considerations into seaweed farming strategies.