Sustainably Managing Ecosystems for CDR

Question 1

How much carbon is stores in living vegetation, soils and oceans?

Answer 1

Living vegetation - 550GtC

Soils - >2,300GtC

Oceans - 38,000GtC

Question 2

Which ecosystems are significant reservoirs of carbon?

Answer 2

Forests, grasslands, agricultural lands and soils

Question 3

What do strategies managing the biggest biome reservoirs for carbon influence?

Answer 3

Their ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and sequester carbon

Question 4

What ecosystem has a low carbon stock but has a higher carbon sequestration?

Answer 4

Forests

Question 5

What are nature-based CDR strategies?

Answer 5

Strategies that increase carbon storage in living plants, soils or sediments

Also named land-based or ocean-based solutions

Question 6

What are some examples of nature-based CDR strategies?

Answer 6

Coastal blue carbon

Peatland restoration

Afforestation/reforestation

BECCS

Enhanced rock weathering

Biochar

Soil carbon management

Question 7

What are the aims of CDR?

Answer 7

Remove CO2 (and other GHGs) from the atmosphere and directly addressing the increased greenhouse effect and mitigation ocean acidification

May mitigate ocean acidification

Question 8

What are the two key processes of CDR/what can CDR methods be classified as?

Answer 8

Intentional capture and removal of a GHG from the atmosphere

Storage of the captured GHG in a form that prevents their release into the atmosphere for an extended period

Question 9

What example methods are there for CDR using the GHG removal method?

Answer 9

Increasing biological uptake

Increasing inorganic reactions

Engineering direct capture from the atmosphere

Question 10

What are the example methods used for CDR using the storage location method?

Answer 10

Geological reservoir

Built environment

Land stores (soil and vegetation)

Ocean stores e.g. ocean fertilisation

Question 11

What does BECCS stand for? What are the two mitigation options?

Answer 11

Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Sequestration

Biomass combustion to generate energy (power but also heat or liquid fuel)

Carbon capture and storage (CCS)

Question 12

What is ocean fertilisation?

Answer 12

Involves adding nutrients to enhance the biological pump

Increases carbon removal from the surface and facilitates the transfer into the deep oceans

Nutrients are nitrate, phosphate and iron

Question 13

How much could restoring damaged wetlands sequester carbon dioxide?

Answer 13

200MtCO2/year

Question 14

How many mangroves are targeted to be planted by 2030?

Answer 14

100 million

Question 15

What are the two phases for the Hoveton Great Broad Wetland Restoration Project?

Answer 15

Phase 1 = remove 55,000m3 of soft sediments

Phase 2 = biomanipulation

Biomanipulation would take around 10 years - not fast enough

Question 16

What factors have damaged English peatlands? How are they proposing to fix this issue?

Answer 16

Drainage, heavy grazing, burning, cultivation, forestry or other management practices

Covering bare peat areas with vegetation, blocking drains to raise the water table and reintroducing local species like Sphagnum mosses

Question 17

What are the mitigation options for forest management techniques?

Answer 17

Maintaining or increasing forest area

Increasing forest area via afforestation and reforestation

Forest management to increase stand and landscape-level carbon density

Question 18

What are the benefits and challenges of tree planting?

Answer 18

Competition for land with agriculture

Use/competition for water sources

Reduced or enhance biodiversity

Indirect feedbacks e.g. albedo effects, BVOs and cloud formations

Improve soil quality

Reduce flooding and erosion

Affected by natural disturbances e.g. fire and disease

Question 19

What are the benefits for using ERW with crops?

Answer 19

Increasing crop production

Increasing crop protection

Reversing soil acidification

Rebuilding soil erosion

Replenishing soil micronutrients e.g. iron and zinc

Reducing N2O emissions

Question 20

What are the challenges of ERW with crops?

Answer 20

Mining and processing of new rocks

Toxic metal contaminates e.g. waste materials

Increased turbidity, sedimentation and pH changes (from particles washing into rivers and oceans) may cause unknown impacts to marine biodiversity

Question 21

What is biochar?

Answer 21

Is produced by thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen (pyrolysis) into a stable, long-lived product (charcoal)

Question 22

What are the problems with biochar?

Answer 22

Competition for land

Emissions of CO during pyrolysis

Changes in albedo so increased soil surface temperature

Potential changes in other non-CO2 GHGs

Goes straight into the ocean and so speeds up process of carbon sequestration