353
to the social penetration, policy-making, and implementation stages. Thus, it is
important for the science, technology, policy, and implementation of blue carbon
systems to keep pace with one another. The primary objective of the UNEP report
was to advocate for the importance of blue carbon, despite the insufficient knowledge and data, so it may have fully fulfilled its purpose. However, Nellemann et al.
(2009) also noted that the report contained many uncertainties and biases, as it compiled data on specific species or geographic regions. Indeed, some knowledge and
ideas introduced in this book were not included in the UNEP report, and some
results and views presented here differ from those of Nellemann et al. (2009).
13.3.2 Proposed Future Research Topics
As discussed throughout this book, the accumulation and analysis of scientific and
technological evidence corresponding to social needs is still very important for connecting blue carbon initiatives to policy-making and implementation. It is necessary
to first build key datasets in each location to strengthen scientific and technological
evidence. There have been many achievements in blue carbon research, such as the
measurement of seagrass and mangrove biomass, as described in Chaps. 3 and 4
(Inoue 2018; Yoshida et al. 2018). In most parts of the world, however, the interrelationships between inorganic and organic carbon at the air–water and water–
sediment interfaces, as described in Chaps. 6 and 8 (Otani and Endo 2018; Tokoro
et al. 2018), and the carbon flow, such as the sedimentary carbon accumulation rate
introduced in Chaps. 2 and 5 (Endo and Otani 2018; Miyajima and Hamaguchi
2018), have not been measured.
In particular, high-precision measurement using state-of-the-art technologies are
needed in addition to monitoring changes in the blue carbon stock (mainly sedimentary organic carbon and vegetation biomass). Such advances include the stable isotopic signature and DNA analyses of sediment cores to measure carbon sources, as
introduced in Chap. 2 (Miyajima and Hamaguchi 2018), use of the eddy covariance
method to measure the air–water CO 2 exchange, as discussed in Chap. 6 (Tokoro
et al. 2018), and development of a coupled ecosystem–ocean physics model to measure carbon transport, as described in Chap. 9 (Abo et al. 2018).
Ideally, standardized field observations of blue carbon storage and CO 2 uptake
should be performed at SCEs worldwide to fill the gaps at unmeasured sites and to
reduce the uncertainty at measured sites. Here we describe three areas of blue carbon research that require further global field observations:
1. Gathering key data for carbon stocks and flows (primarily CO 2 uptake and blue
carbon storage) using conventional methods for various SCEs (Kuwae et al.
2016; Crosswell et al. 2017). It is particularly important to enhance long-term,
continuous, large-scale in situ observation data and to collect monitoring data
using remote sensing technology to measure changes in the biomass distribution
area of target ecosystems.
13 The Future of Blue Carbon: Addressing Global Environmental Issues
to the social penetration, policy-making, and implementation stages. Thus, it is
important for the science, technology, policy, and implementation of blue carbon
systems to keep pace with one another. The primary objective of the UNEP report
was to advocate for the importance of blue carbon, despite the insufficient knowledge and data, so it may have fully fulfilled its purpose. However, Nellemann et al.
(2009) also noted that the report contained many uncertainties and biases, as it compiled data on specific species or geographic regions. Indeed, some knowledge and
ideas introduced in this book were not included in the UNEP report, and some
results and views presented here differ from those of Nellemann et al. (2009).
13.3.2 Proposed Future Research Topics
As discussed throughout this book, the accumulation and analysis of scientific and
technological evidence corresponding to social needs is still very important for connecting blue carbon initiatives to policy-making and implementation. It is necessary
to first build key datasets in each location to strengthen scientific and technological
evidence. There have been many achievements in blue carbon research, such as the
measurement of seagrass and mangrove biomass, as described in Chaps. 3 and 4
(Inoue 2018; Yoshida et al. 2018). In most parts of the world, however, the interrelationships between inorganic and organic carbon at the air–water and water–
sediment interfaces, as described in Chaps. 6 and 8 (Otani and Endo 2018; Tokoro
et al. 2018), and the carbon flow, such as the sedimentary carbon accumulation rate
introduced in Chaps. 2 and 5 (Endo and Otani 2018; Miyajima and Hamaguchi
2018), have not been measured.
In particular, high-precision measurement using state-of-the-art technologies are
needed in addition to monitoring changes in the blue carbon stock (mainly sedimentary organic carbon and vegetation biomass). Such advances include the stable isotopic signature and DNA analyses of sediment cores to measure carbon sources, as
introduced in Chap. 2 (Miyajima and Hamaguchi 2018), use of the eddy covariance
method to measure the air–water CO 2 exchange, as discussed in Chap. 6 (Tokoro
et al. 2018), and development of a coupled ecosystem–ocean physics model to measure carbon transport, as described in Chap. 9 (Abo et al. 2018).
Ideally, standardized field observations of blue carbon storage and CO 2 uptake
should be performed at SCEs worldwide to fill the gaps at unmeasured sites and to
reduce the uncertainty at measured sites. Here we describe three areas of blue carbon research that require further global field observations:
1. Gathering key data for carbon stocks and flows (primarily CO 2 uptake and blue
carbon storage) using conventional methods for various SCEs (Kuwae et al.
2016; Crosswell et al. 2017). It is particularly important to enhance long-term,
continuous, large-scale in situ observation data and to collect monitoring data
using remote sensing technology to measure changes in the biomass distribution
area of target ecosystems.
13 The Future of Blue Carbon: Addressing Global Environmental Issues