Climate change countermeasures in port and coastal projects are urgent challenges. Recently, it is being confirmed that blue carbon (carbon captured by marine organisms) in marine ecosystems is effective for mitigating climate change (atmospheric CO₂ absorption and carbon storage). Also, coastal ecosystems are expected to adapt to climate change, including dissipating ocean waves and sediment deposition. Therefore, comprehensive investigation of the two functioning is necessary. However, quantification of the extent of dissipation of ocean waves and sediment deposition by coral reef ecosystems, seagrass beds, and other conditions has only just begun worldwide.

In the study, we will utilize the ability of blue carbon to mitigate and adapt to climate change to improve the cost effectiveness of port and coastal projects. Leveraging the improvements to propose new climate change countermeasures, we will develop a method to quantify the mitigation and adaptation functioning of blue carbon against climate change (investigation, analysis and modeling). In addition, using newly developed methods, we will estimate the mitigation and adaptation functioning at coastlines on a global scale.

This fiscal year, we conducted the following studies: new establishment of the coupled mangrove-coral reef ecosystem model, geometric/ecosystem data collection and GIS analyses for estimation on a global scale, and modeling of shallow coastal ecosystems in terms of wave attenuation and inundation reduction. Also, we conducted in situ investigations on carbon dynamics at seagrass beds, tide flats, coral reefs, and mangroves both in Japan and overseas. In addition, we led the Blue Carbon Study Group in Japan, which consists of experts from academia, related organizations, and so forth.