Assessment of blue carbon in seagrass meadows in Pulicat Lake, Andhra Pradesh, India

Coastal ecosystems such as seagrass, mangroves and saltmarshes sequester and store large quantities of carbon in the soil. Carbon sequestration potential of four seagrass species Halophila ovalis, Halodule pinifolia, Syringodium isoetifolium and Halodule uninervis in Pulicat Lake, Andhra Pradesh, India was assessed. The mean seagrass biomass within the seagrass beds in the lake ranged from 1.43 +/- 0.06 to 2.01 +/- 0.12 Mg/ ha and the total blue carbon storage in the seagrass meadows ranged from 0.49 +/- 0.15 to 9.52 +/- 0.15 Mg C ha(-1) while stored carbon in the sediment ranged from 1.29 +/- 0.04 to 11.94 +/- 0.15 Mg C ha(-1). Regression analysis showed a considerable correlation between seagrass carbon and sediment carbon. Among the environmental parameters analyzed, pH showed significant correlation with seagrass biomass and sediment carbon (P < 0.05). The present study demonstrates the carbon sequestration potential of seagrass ecosystem in the Pulicat Lake.