C
CARBON SEQUESTRATION
Judith Z. Drexler
U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center,
Sacramento, CA, USA
Synonyms
Carbon capture; Carbon storage
Definition
Carbon sequestration is the process by which atmospheric
carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), the most important greenhouse gas,
is removed from the atmosphere and stored in the ocean,
on the land surface, or in geological formations
(Sundquist et al., 2008). Reservoirs that store carbon over
long periods of time are called “carbon sinks.” The process
of carbon sequestration can occur naturally by plants via
photosynthesis with subsequent storage of carbon in biomass (leaves, roots, and stems/trunks of plants) and soils.
Carbon can also be sequestered by separating and capturing CO 2 emitted by industrial processes and transporting it
to deep underground geological formations for permanent
storage (Lal, 2008). Carbon sequestration is reported as
a rate of carbon (C) storage in units of mass per time such
as teragrams (Tg ¼ 1 Â 10
12 g) C/year.
Bibliography
Lal, R., 2008. Carbon sequestration. Philosophical Transactions of
the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 363, doi:10.1098/
rstb.2007.2185.
Sundquist, E., Burrus, R., Faulkner, S., Gleason, R., Harden, J.,
Kharaka, Y., Tieszen, L., and Waldrop, M., 2008. Carbon
sequestration to mitigate climate change. U.S. Geological Survey
Fact Sheet 2008–3097. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2008/3097/pdf/
CarbonFS.pdf.
Cross-references
Saltmarshes
CHENIERS AND REGRESSIVE BEDFORMS
Federico Ignacio Isla
1 and Jose Manuel Bedmar
2
1
IGCC-IIMYC, UNMDP-CONICET, Mar del Plata,
Argentina
2
IGCC-IIMYC, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
Synonyms
Chenier plain; Sandy beach ridge
Definition
Chenier is a term devoted exclusively to linear sandy
coastal ridges separated from the shoreline by muddy
deposits (mudflats or marshes). The base of the cheniers
should be a horizontal surface where a clear difference
exists between the mud and the coarse-grained deposits.
The seaward sides of the cheniers are regular and straight,
while the landward side is irregular (Reineck and Singh,
1980). Cheniers do not occur alone, but in groups, with
narrow spacing between individual ridges at their ends.
Moreover, this arrangement can cause streams and small
rivers to be deflected, creating angular or parallel drainage
patterns, a feature that was noted in the Suriname chenier
plain by Augustinus (1980).
Introduction
Cheniers are deposits originating from high-energy
reworking of muddy coastal plains. Beach-ridge and
chenier plains can be confused when it is difficult to discern if the plains are dominated by sand and mud.
M.J. Kennish (ed.), Encyclopedia of Estuaries, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4,
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016
CARBON SEQUESTRATION
Judith Z. Drexler
U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center,
Sacramento, CA, USA
Synonyms
Carbon capture; Carbon storage
Definition
Carbon sequestration is the process by which atmospheric
carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), the most important greenhouse gas,
is removed from the atmosphere and stored in the ocean,
on the land surface, or in geological formations
(Sundquist et al., 2008). Reservoirs that store carbon over
long periods of time are called “carbon sinks.” The process
of carbon sequestration can occur naturally by plants via
photosynthesis with subsequent storage of carbon in biomass (leaves, roots, and stems/trunks of plants) and soils.
Carbon can also be sequestered by separating and capturing CO 2 emitted by industrial processes and transporting it
to deep underground geological formations for permanent
storage (Lal, 2008). Carbon sequestration is reported as
a rate of carbon (C) storage in units of mass per time such
as teragrams (Tg ¼ 1 Â 10
12 g) C/year.
Bibliography
Lal, R., 2008. Carbon sequestration. Philosophical Transactions of
the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 363, doi:10.1098/
rstb.2007.2185.
Sundquist, E., Burrus, R., Faulkner, S., Gleason, R., Harden, J.,
Kharaka, Y., Tieszen, L., and Waldrop, M., 2008. Carbon
sequestration to mitigate climate change. U.S. Geological Survey
Fact Sheet 2008–3097. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2008/3097/pdf/
CarbonFS.pdf.
Cross-references
Saltmarshes
CHENIERS AND REGRESSIVE BEDFORMS
Federico Ignacio Isla
1 and Jose Manuel Bedmar
2
1
IGCC-IIMYC, UNMDP-CONICET, Mar del Plata,
Argentina
2
IGCC-IIMYC, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
Synonyms
Chenier plain; Sandy beach ridge
Definition
Chenier is a term devoted exclusively to linear sandy
coastal ridges separated from the shoreline by muddy
deposits (mudflats or marshes). The base of the cheniers
should be a horizontal surface where a clear difference
exists between the mud and the coarse-grained deposits.
The seaward sides of the cheniers are regular and straight,
while the landward side is irregular (Reineck and Singh,
1980). Cheniers do not occur alone, but in groups, with
narrow spacing between individual ridges at their ends.
Moreover, this arrangement can cause streams and small
rivers to be deflected, creating angular or parallel drainage
patterns, a feature that was noted in the Suriname chenier
plain by Augustinus (1980).
Introduction
Cheniers are deposits originating from high-energy
reworking of muddy coastal plains. Beach-ridge and
chenier plains can be confused when it is difficult to discern if the plains are dominated by sand and mud.
M.J. Kennish (ed.), Encyclopedia of Estuaries, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4,
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016