I first learned about blue carbon during my masters at Bangor University when studying mangrove degradation. I graduated in 2019 with an MSci in Marine Vertebrate Zoology and started a PhD at the University of Aberdeen in 2020 funded by the Scottish Universities Partnership for Environmental Research Doctoral Training Partnership (SUPER DTP).

Project: The impact of changes in management, climate and sea level on blue carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in coastal wetlands.

The research aims to create a dynamic process-based simulation model in order to predict the impact of future changes in management and climate on carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions in coastal wetlands. Similar models have been created for peatlands however there is a significant gap in such models for coastal wetlands. The RothC model will be adapted to describe carbon turnover in coastal wetlands, the resulting model will then be evaluated against field experiments world-wide.

By modelling the carbon sequestered in coastal wetlands, we can more effectively identify options to reduce GHG emissions and increase soil carbon stocks, so producing much needed information to support improved policies on the protection and restoration of coastal wetlands as well as improved understanding of the processes controlling carbon turnover and GHG emissions from coastal wetlands. This research will be under the framework of the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum providing a conduit to governmental data and policy in support of model validation and impact.

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Supervisors: Prof. Jo Smith, Prof. David Paterson, Dr Alison Brand, Prof. John Baxter

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Keywords: Blue Carbon, Ecological Economics, Climate Change, Marine Planning