Coastal Wetland Restoration a Nature Based Decarbonization Multi-Benefit Climate Mitigation Solution
UC-Labs Award L22CR4529 Internet: Eduroam or UCSC Guest
Kickoff Meeting – April 15, 2022 Zoom: Join Zoom Meeting
Parking: SM9973�https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/93918104409?pwd=U2hOWnhieEFQMjZZRWczSXlGNmtMZz09
AGENDA
10-10:30 - Coffee and welcome
10:30-11:00 - Introductions -�
11:00-11:30 - Project goals and work packages - Paytan�
11:30-11:45 - Physical Science Overview - Paytan, Pett-Ridge, Arias-Ortiz�
11:45-12:00 - Social Science Overview - Arnold, Matthew, Seto, Plantinga�
12:00-12:15 - Modeling Overview - Mekonen, Moulton�
12:15-12:30 - Education and Outreach - Paytan�
12:30-1:30 - Lunch �
1:30-2:30 - Break Groups (Physical Science, Social Science, Modeling)�
2:30-2:45 - Project Integration - Arora�
2:45-3:00 - Discussion/Questions
Introductions
Name
Institute/Department
Area of Research
Role in the Project
Something that happened in the world the year you were born
Motivation
Effective restoration and management of coastal wetlands can help decrease atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations and slow climate change (nature-based decarbonization solution) while providing additional ecosystem services to coastal communities.
Implementing wetland restoration for decarbonization is not trivial as it involves complex natural and social considerations
Goals
This project seeks to provide policy and management guidelines that will maximize C sequestration in coastal wetland, while ensuring social and environmental justice and ecological sustainability (co-benefits for humans and nature).
We will use the information/data/results to construct a set of recommendation that will enable wetland restoration projects to consider C sequestration in their design/management.
Outcomes
The project will assess the natural and human dynamics relevant for including coastal wetland restoration as a decarbonization solution, harnessing blue-carbon nature-based solutions that also offer adaptation opportunities and enhance community resilience and environmental justice to safeguard livelihoods in the face of climate change.
Work Packages
Field Sites
Diverse coastal wetlands where eddy covariance towers are operational allowing for constraining carbon budget. Sites with restoration project ongoing that focused on different ecosystem services and involve different communities and stakeholders.
(1) Obtain quantitative information on natural below ground and above ground processes that control C cycling in coastal wetlands and quantify net C sequestration across a range of representative environmental conditions. Outcomes: Data to improve models and inform the design of restoration and conservation guidelines that address multiple benefits including C sequestration.
(2) Quantify the economic value of C storage and other ecosystem services from coastal wetlands. Outcomes: economic C tracking guidelines and assessment of the value of C storage and other ecosystem services.
(3) Evaluate barriers and opportunities within current C policy and management that impact the use of wetland restoration as nature-based solution for combating climate change. Outcomes: a policy and governance framework that can facilitate effective design and implementation of restoration projects.
(4) Assess impacts and benefits of coastal wetland restoration practices and policy on coastal communities. Outcomes: adaptation guidelines and priorities that enhance community resilience and improve environmental equity, helping to safeguard livelihoods in the face of climate change.
(5) Use the ecosys and ATS models to investigate how different coastal wetland restoration options and projected climate change scenarios (sea level and temperature rise) will impact net C sequestration potential of coastal wetlands. Outcomes: enhancement of current ecosystem and earth system models to include coastal wetlands.
(6) Develop and teach a climate and data literacy course for UC undergraduate students and develop teaching modules for high school students and distribute relevant information materials on wetlands, C, and climate. Outcomes increase climate and data literacy of students and awareness of the broader community.
How
Timeline
Kickoff Meeting – Introduction, tools and work plans
To ensure continues communication and exchange
Monthly WP meetings
Quarterly WP lead meetings
Quarterly webinars (workshop on mentoring this quarter)
Annual all participant meeting
Conference participation (Delta, AGU)
Project Website (student or postdoc)
Field work C dynamics -
Ecosystem Services -
Policy, Governance and Social Justice -
Modeling -
Physical Science – C Budget
Sub surface processes –
Porewater Chemistry
Carbon burial (wt% C, MAR)
Soil and landscape properties
Pore water properties
Microbial community
Porewater Reaction Transport Model
Above surface processes –
eddy covariance gas exchange
The carbon balance in a wetland
3 restored tidal wetlands
5 restored nontidal wetlands
3 Agricultural/pasture sites
Salinity gradient
San Francisco Bay-Delta
1 historic tidal wetland
Eddy Covariance
Most agricultural sites are strong sources of GHG
Wetlands can be sinks of GHG but there is high interannual variability
Coastal wetland can be large sources of CH4
Radiative forcing of wetland restoration
Arias-Ortiz et al. 2021
Atmospheric Carbon Fluxes at Eden Landing and Rush Ranch
Estimating Net Ecosystem Balance
Rush Ranch (US-Srr) and Eden Landing (US-Edn)
Combining soil sediment, lateral and atmospheric carbon fluxes to estimate NECB
Bogard et al. 2020 US-Srr
Arias-Ortiz et a. 2021 US-Edn
Long-term measurements
US-Myb Annual budgets: nontidal managed wetland, decreasing CH4 emissions with time
Matsumura et al. in prep
Ecosystem Services -
Policy, Governance and Social Justice -
Modeling -
Integration -
Logistics
Looking for qualified PhD students and postdocs for the project
Payee 204 form
Post Travel Expense form refer to
Trip #V0131504
https://financial.ucsc.edu/Financial_Affairs_Forms/Post_Travel_Expense.pdf