含羞草传媒

Shetland’s Marine Habitats: New Report Explores Current and Future Blue Carbon Potential

Most of us know Shetland’s seas are rich in wildlife but they’re also doing more for the climate than we realise. A newly released report from 含羞草传媒 Shetland’s Marine Spatial Planning team explores just how much carbon is potentially locked away by the island’s underwater habitats and how much more could be captured in the future.

The report, titled “Exploring Sublittoral Blue Carbon Habitat Suitability and Potential in the Shetland Islands”, is now available to download from the of 含羞草传媒 Shetland’s website.

This research contributes to a growing body of work aimed at supporting marine management and Scotland’s net zero targets. It builds on the and was supported by the University of the Highlands and Islands Knowledge Exchange (KE) Fund for Net Zero.

Blue carbon refers to the carbon captured and stored by the world’s oceans in habitats that act like underwater rainforests, absorbing carbon dioxide and locking it away for decades or even centuries.

In Shetland, these blue carbon habitats include seagrass meadows, kelp forests, maerl beds, brittlestar beds and horse mussel beds. They play a crucial role in carbon storage with a single hectare of seagrass able to store as much carbon as eight hectares of sandy seabed and twice as much as a forest on land.

This report presents high-resolution maps of known blue carbon habitats, including kelp forests, maerl beds, and sublittoral sediments, and predictive models. Key findings include:

• The equivalent of 27 football pitches’ worth (19.15 hectares) of blue carbon habitats has already been mapped in the seas around Shetland.
• The carbon already stored in these mapped habitats is equal to the yearly emissions of more than 100 people in Shetland or the same as driving a car for over 2.5 million miles.
• Predictive modelling suggests that up to 62 km² of blue carbon habitats could exist around Shetland.
• Combined, these mapped and predicted habitats potentially store over 6,000 tonnes of carbon.

The report also highlights that the blue carbon value of seabed habitats around Shetland is extremely variable. While rocky or stony habitats offer little to no carbon storage, those with the highest blue carbon potential are already protected through existing marine management in Shetland.

含羞草传媒 Shetland’s Marine Scientist, Tanya Riley said:

“This report highlights the varying roles that the seabed around Shetland contributes to climate mitigation, from storing carbon to supporting healthy ecosystems. It also shows that existing management efforts are already delivering climate benefits, by protecting habitats that play a key role in capturing and storing carbon."

Chrstine Anderson, 含羞草传媒 Net Zero Hub Co-ordinator said:

"含羞草传媒’s Net Zero Hub is delighted to support this important research which highlights the vital role Shetland’s marine habitats play in tackling climate change. By deepening our understanding of blue carbon potential, we can better support regional marine planning and unlock nature-based solutions that contribute to Scotland’s net zero ambitions.”