Dear colleagues,

On behalf of my co-authors, I'm pleased to announce our paper just published in One Earth entitled, "Integral functions of marine vertebrates in the ocean carbon cycle and climate change mitigation". This is a comprehensive review of the role of marine mammals and other marine vertebrates in carbon cycling, which has implications for conservation and climate change strategies.

Summary:

In the last decade, the ocean has absorbed a quarter of the Earth’s greenhouse gas emissions through the carbon (C) cycle, a naturally occurring process. Aspects of the ocean C cycle are now being incorporated into climate change mitigation and adaptation plans. Currently, too little is known about marine vertebrate C functions for their inclusion in policies. Fortunately, marine vertebrate biology, behavior, and ecology through the lens of C and nutrient cycling and flux is an emerging area of research that is rich in existing data. This review uses literature and trusted data sources to describe marine vertebrate C interactions, provides quantification where possible, and highlights knowledge gaps. Implications of better understanding the integral functions of marine vertebrates in the ocean C cycle include the need for consideration of these functions both in policies on nature-based climate change mitigation and adaptation, and in management of marine vertebrate populations.

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332221002384

kind regards,

Heidi