Blue Carbon Stock of Seagrass Meadows of Chilika and Pulicat Lakes along the Eastern Coast of India

Abstract

Blue carbon stock of seagrass meadows of Chilika (Odisha) and Pulicat (Tamil Nadu) Lakes located along the eastern coast of India is estimated from the data collected on soil organic carbon content (C org) of monospecific or multispecific seagrass habitats up to 30 cm depth sampled during 2018- 2019 period. Chilika Lake harbours five seagrass species in addition to the invasive aquatic weed Potamogeton pectinatus. Seagrass habitats in the Pulicat Lake are formed of monospecifc species of seagrasses in association with considerable quantities of red and green seaweed resources. The blue carbon stock of seagrass habitats up to a depth of 30 cm of Chilika Lake was estimated to 2.018±0.673 M gC ha-1 while that of Pulicat Lake was determined to 0.998± 0.418 M gC ha-1. Our results do contribute to the global data sets on blue carbon stored in seagrass habitats and its significance on carbon trading.