An innovative way to explore the Red Sea’s precious Blue Carbon ecosystems

Summary

KAUST researchers, partnering with the Queensland Government, discovered 34 previously unknown seagrass meadows in the Red Sea by tracking the foraging behavior of green turtles. They tagged and tracked 53 turtles, revealing that the turtles were approximately 20 times more reliable at identifying seagrass meadows compared to the Allen Coral Atlas. This method also proved to be significantly more cost-effective than traditional methods like airplanes with hyperspectral sensors. Why it matters: This study highlights a novel, cost-effective approach to mapping blue carbon ecosystems, crucial for carbon capture and marine habitat preservation, and provides valuable data for sustainability policies in the Red Sea region.