Dr Mirjam van der Mheen1, Dr Karen Filbee-Dexter1, Prof Charitha Pattiaratchi1, Taylor Simpkins1, Dr Albert Pessarrodona1, Prof Thomas Wernberg1
1The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
Kelp forests assimilate substantial amounts of CO2, thanks to their exceptional productivity and large spatial extent. Over 80% of kelp production enters the coastal system as detritus, where it is either consumed, decomposed, or sequestered. Kelp detritus that is transported offshore from the coastal zone to deeper ocean sinks can be considered sequestered, effectively trapping carbon for geologically significant time periods. Along the entire Australian continental shelf, dense shelf water cascades provide a mechanism for the rapid offshore transport of kelp detritus. Dense shelf water cascades are oceanographic features associated with exceptionally fast flowing currents along the sea floor and across the continental shelf into the deeper ocean. Here, we explore how the timing of the formation of strong dense shelf water cascades along the Perth Metropolitan continental shelf coincides with detrital kelp production. We simulate the offshore movement of kelp detritus during these cascades using particle tracking models and estimate overall transport to deep ocean areas. This knowledge can be used to estimate the potential sequestration of kelp carbon from Australia’s Great Southern Reef, providing a significant advance in our understanding of the blue carbon potential of these ecosystems.
Biography:
I completed my BSc in Physics & Astronomy and my MSc in Physical Oceanography, Meteorology, and Climate at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. My PhD at the University of Western Australia focussed on the transport of floating plastic waste in the Indian Ocean. My research now focusses on blue carbon, specifically on the transport of kelp detritus into the deep ocean.
