Climate Change Mitigation as a Co-Benefit of Seaweed Farming

The document explains that farmed seaweed can sequester carbon in sediments, with the highest rates occurring in sheltered locations over soft, muddy sediment. It highlights a specific case in Tokyo Bay where a 300-year-old farm accumulated 140 ton CO2-eq of carbon stock, significantly exceeding the 0.90 ton CO2-eq accumulation found outside seaweed farms.

• Seaweed farming contributes to carbon sequestration, with rates in sediments beneath farms being higher than in sediments without farms, though these rates vary based on farm yield, sediment composition, and location.
• The effectiveness of carbon storage depends on the environment: sheltered farms over soft, muddy sediment are ideal for the deposition of detached seaweed fragments, whereas farms in exposed locations export carbon back to sea, making it unmeasurable in local sediments.
• Data from a 300-year-old farm in Tokyo Bay shows a carbon stock of 140 ton CO2-eq, compared to an average carbon stock accumulation of 0.90 ton CO2-eq per hectare per year outside of seaweed farms.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). Climate Change Mitigation as a Co-Benefit of Seaweed Farming. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1052/87b4vwsi17_Carbon_burial_abstract_WWF_OC2050.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Climate Change Mitigation as a Co-Benefit of Seaweed Farming. n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1052/87b4vwsi17_Carbon_burial_abstract_WWF_OC2050.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Climate Change Mitigation as a Co-Benefit of Seaweed Farming |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1052/87b4vwsi17_Carbon_burial_abstract_WWF_OC2050.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndclimate, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Climate Change Mitigation as a Co-Benefit of Seaweed Farming}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1052/87b4vwsi17_Carbon_burial_abstract_WWF_OC2050.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }