Carbon storage in marine sediment disrupted by intense bottom trawling

Intensive bottom trawling in the North Sea significantly reduces long-term organic carbon storage in seabed sediments, according to a study in Nature Geoscience. Researchers used field data and biogeochemical modelling to show that trawling disrupts carbon sequestration by resuspending sediment, exposing organic carbon to oxygen and reducing bioturbation by benthic organisms. This results in an annual loss of several hundred thousand tonnes of organic carbon, with CO2 emissions from remineralised carbon estimated at 1 million tonnes per year. The study highlights the potential for marine habitat protection to simultaneously enhance carbon storage, particularly in muddy sediment areas, aiding climate mitigation efforts. (Springer Nature)