Global distribution, quantification and valuation of the biological carbon pump

Global distribution, quantification and valuation of the biological carbon pump

The biological carbon pump (BCP) sequesters vast amounts of carbon in the ocean, but its importance for conservation, climate finance and international policy has not been properly assessed. Here, using spatial analysis and financial valuation of the BCP service, we estimate that, annually, the BCP adds 2.81 GtC (range 2.44–3.53 GtC) to the ocean with a storage time of at least 50 years (±25 years). This ecosystem service is worth US$545 billion…

An international team led by researchers from the University of Montpellier, the CNRS and the University of California has mapped the potentially conflicting areas between two major ocean contributions to human societies: fishing and carbon sequestration. A few months before the opening of the 3rd United Nations Conference on Climate Change...