Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): Implications for carbon sink estimates

Posidonia oceanica is a widespread coastal Mediterranean seagrass which accumulates in its subsurface large quantities of organic material derived from its roots, rhizomes and leaf sheaths embedded in sandy sediments. These organic deposits may be up to several meters thick as they accumulate over t...

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Autores: Lo Iacono, Claudio, Mateo, Miguel Ángel, Gràcia, Eulàlia, Guasch, Lluis, Carbonell, Ramón, Serrano, Laura, Serrano, Oscar, Dañobeitia, Juan José
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2008
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/19981
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/19981
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Seismo-acoustics
Seagrass settings
Carbon sink
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spelling Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): Implications for carbon sink estimatesLo Iacono, ClaudioMateo, Miguel ÁngelGràcia, EulàliaGuasch, LluisCarbonell, RamónSerrano, LauraSerrano, OscarDañobeitia, Juan JoséSeismo-acousticsSeagrass settingsCarbon sinkPosidonia oceanica is a widespread coastal Mediterranean seagrass which accumulates in its subsurface large quantities of organic material derived from its roots, rhizomes and leaf sheaths embedded in sandy sediments. These organic deposits may be up to several meters thick as they accumulate over thousands of years forming the matte, whose high content in organic carbon plays a major role in the global ocean carbon cycle. In this study, very high-resolution seismo-acoustic methods were applied to image the subsurface features of a P. oceanica seagrass meadow at Portlligat (Cadaqués, Girona, Spain), in the NW-Mediterranean Sea. Our findings yield fresh insights into the settling of the P. oceanica meadow in the study area, and define with unprecedented detail the potential volume occupied by the matte. A strong reflector, located from 4.3 to 11.7 m depth, was recognized in several seismo-acoustic profiles as the substratum on which P. oceanica first settled in the study area. A 3D bathymetric model of this substratum allowed us to reconstruct the Portlligat palaeo-environment prior to the settling of P. oceanica, which corresponded to a shallow coastal setting protected from the open sea. A core drilled in the meadow at Portlligat revealed the presence of a 6 m thick dense matte composed of medium to coarse sandy sediments mixed with plant debris and bioclasts. Radiocarbon datings revealed a constant accretion rate of the matte of about 1.1 m/kyr. Gravelly bioclastic deposits observed at the base of the core correspond to the base of the matte and gave a date of 5616 ± 46 Cal yr BP. For the first time, very high-resolution marine geophysical techniques allowed us to accurately define the volume occupied by P. oceanica matte, which in the study area reaches up to almost 220,000 ± 17,400 m3. This result is an important step forward in our efforts to estimate the size of the carbon sink represented by P. oceanica meadows along the Mediterranean coasts significantly contributing to the biosphere carbon cycle.We acknowledge the support received from the CSIC project CARBOMED - “Proyecto Intramural de Frontera (PIF)” (200530F0232) and the National Project EVENT (CGL2006-12861-C02-02) from the MEC (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia)We acknowledge the support received from the CSIC project CARBOMED ‐ “Proyecto Intramural de Frontera (PIF)” (200530F0232) and the National Project EVENT (CGL2006‐12861‐C02‐02) from the MEC (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia).Peer reviewedAmerican Geophysical UnionMinisterio de Educación y Ciencia (España)Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España)2008info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501Publisher's versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://hdl.handle.net/10261/19981reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Ingléshttps://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2008GL034773info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:digital.csic.es:10261/199812026-05-22T06:33:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): Implications for carbon sink estimates
title Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): Implications for carbon sink estimates
spellingShingle Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): Implications for carbon sink estimates
Lo Iacono, Claudio
Seismo-acoustics
Seagrass settings
Carbon sink
title_short Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): Implications for carbon sink estimates
title_full Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): Implications for carbon sink estimates
title_fullStr Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): Implications for carbon sink estimates
title_full_unstemmed Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): Implications for carbon sink estimates
title_sort Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): Implications for carbon sink estimates
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Lo Iacono, Claudio
Mateo, Miguel Ángel
Gràcia, Eulàlia
Guasch, Lluis
Carbonell, Ramón
Serrano, Laura
Serrano, Oscar
Dañobeitia, Juan José
author Lo Iacono, Claudio
author_facet Lo Iacono, Claudio
Mateo, Miguel Ángel
Gràcia, Eulàlia
Guasch, Lluis
Carbonell, Ramón
Serrano, Laura
Serrano, Oscar
Dañobeitia, Juan José
author_role author
author2 Mateo, Miguel Ángel
Gràcia, Eulàlia
Guasch, Lluis
Carbonell, Ramón
Serrano, Laura
Serrano, Oscar
Dañobeitia, Juan José
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (España)
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España)
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Seismo-acoustics
Seagrass settings
Carbon sink
topic Seismo-acoustics
Seagrass settings
Carbon sink
description Posidonia oceanica is a widespread coastal Mediterranean seagrass which accumulates in its subsurface large quantities of organic material derived from its roots, rhizomes and leaf sheaths embedded in sandy sediments. These organic deposits may be up to several meters thick as they accumulate over thousands of years forming the matte, whose high content in organic carbon plays a major role in the global ocean carbon cycle. In this study, very high-resolution seismo-acoustic methods were applied to image the subsurface features of a P. oceanica seagrass meadow at Portlligat (Cadaqués, Girona, Spain), in the NW-Mediterranean Sea. Our findings yield fresh insights into the settling of the P. oceanica meadow in the study area, and define with unprecedented detail the potential volume occupied by the matte. A strong reflector, located from 4.3 to 11.7 m depth, was recognized in several seismo-acoustic profiles as the substratum on which P. oceanica first settled in the study area. A 3D bathymetric model of this substratum allowed us to reconstruct the Portlligat palaeo-environment prior to the settling of P. oceanica, which corresponded to a shallow coastal setting protected from the open sea. A core drilled in the meadow at Portlligat revealed the presence of a 6 m thick dense matte composed of medium to coarse sandy sediments mixed with plant debris and bioclasts. Radiocarbon datings revealed a constant accretion rate of the matte of about 1.1 m/kyr. Gravelly bioclastic deposits observed at the base of the core correspond to the base of the matte and gave a date of 5616 ± 46 Cal yr BP. For the first time, very high-resolution marine geophysical techniques allowed us to accurately define the volume occupied by P. oceanica matte, which in the study area reaches up to almost 220,000 ± 17,400 m3. This result is an important step forward in our efforts to estimate the size of the carbon sink represented by P. oceanica meadows along the Mediterranean coasts significantly contributing to the biosphere carbon cycle.
publishDate 2008
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2008
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
Publisher's version
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10261/19981
url http://hdl.handle.net/10261/19981
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2008GL034773
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv American Geophysical Union
publisher.none.fl_str_mv American Geophysical Union
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
instname_str Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
reponame_str DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
collection DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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