Research out of Oregon State University has found that the terrestrial habitats surrounding surf breaks, like mangrove forests and woodlands, store a lot of carbon.
Leslie Palotas, left, and Kelly Potts, right, go for an early morning surf before class.
Noah Thomas / OPB
A study published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice last month shows over 88 million metric tons of irrecoverable carbon, which can’t be recovered within 30 years if released, are held in ecosystems near surf spots around the world.
The research is unique in that it looks at the intersection of ecosystems around wave breaks and climate change, according to Jacob Bukoski, assistant professor at Oregon State University and lead author of the study.
“There are just unique coastal conditions that tend to lead to the coexistence of both of these phenomena, one being surf breaks and the other being some of these ecosystems,” said Bukoski.
He said there’s been a growing interest in protecting surf breaks and their associated ecosystems like coral reefs. But this is the first time a study has measured how much carbon is captured in surrounding watersheds, which also impacts surfing conditions.
According to the study, which looked at watersheds near wave breaks around the world, California ranked first and Oregon second for most carbon surf sinks. California was top of the list partially due to its long coastline, according to Bukoski. While Oregon’s coastal forests on land, whose loss would have impacts on marine conditions due to things like erosion, contributed to that state’s ability to store carbon near surf breaks.
Bukoski said he hopes that getting people excited about conserving surf spots for climate-related goals. as well as tourism and sport, could lead to broader habitat protections in a similar way that rallying behind saving an endangered species can help preserve whole ecosystems.
“So the idea behind these surf breaks is they might act as kind of an umbrella species, so to speak,” said Bukoski. “[And it could] provide this motivating force to protect a broader swath of these coastal areas.”
The study notes that 17.2 million metric tons of irrecoverable carbon — around a quarter of the stored carbon measured in the paper — are held in surf ecosystems without formal measures of protection.