Blue Carbon

Feature publications 
Global patterns in mangrove soil carbon stocks and losses​
Atwood et al. 2017 Nature Climate Change
​Mangrove soils represent a large sink for otherwise rapidly recycled carbon (C). However, widespread deforestation threatens the preservation of this important C stock. It is therefore imperative that global patterns in mangrove soil C stocks and their susceptibility to remineralization are understood. Here, we present patterns in mangrove soil C stocks across hemispheres, latitudes, countries and mangrove community compositions, and estimate potential annual CO2 emissions for countries where mangroves occur.
The Future of Blue Carbon 
Macreadie et al. 2019 Nature Communications
The term Blue Carbon (BC) was first coined a decade ago to describe the disproportionately large contribution of coastal vegetated ecosystems to global carbon sequestration. The role of BC in climate change mitigation and adaptation has now reached international prominence. ​To help prioritise future research, we assembled leading experts in the field to agree upon the top-ten pending questions in BC science.
Predators help protect carbon stocks in blue carbon ecosystems
Atwood et al. 2015 Nature Climate Change
​Predators continue to be harvested unsustainably throughout most of the Earth’s ecosystems. Recent research demonstrates that the functional loss of predators could have far-reaching consequences on carbon cycling and, by implication, our ability to ameliorate climate change impacts. Yet the influence of predators on carbon accumulation and preservation in vegetated coastal habitats (that is, salt marshes, seagrass meadows and mangroves) is poorly understood, despite these being some of the Earth’s most vulnerable and carbon-rich ecosystems.

Blue carbon publications 

Rod Connolly's publications relating to blue carbon 
2024
  • Carruthers TJB, Jones B, Terrell MK, Scheibly JF, Player BJ, Black VA, Ehrenwerth JR, Biber PD, Connolly RM, Crooks S, Curole JP, Darnell KM, Dausman AD, DeJong AL, Doyle SM, Esposito CR, Friess DA, Fourqurean JW, Georgiou IY, Grimsditch GD, He S, Hillmann ER, Holm GO, Howard J, Jung H, Jupiter SD,  Kiskaddon E, Krauss KW, Lavery PS, Liu B, Lovelock CE, Mack SK, Macreadie PI, McGlathery KJ, Megonigal JP, Roberts BJ, Settelmyer S, Staver LW, Stevens HJ, Sutton-Grier AE, Villa JA, White JR, Waycott M (2024) Identifying and filling critical knowledge gaps can optimize financial viability of blue carbon projects in tidal wetlands. Frontiers in Environmental Science 12, 1421850 PDF
  • Trevathan-Tackett SM, Kepfer-Rojas S, Malerba M, Macreadie PI, Djukic I, Zhao J, Young EB, York PH, Yeh SC, Xiong Y, Winters G, Whitlock D, Weaver CA, Watson A, Visby I, Tylkowski J, Trethowan A, Tiegs S, Taylor B, Szpikowski J, Szpikowska G, Strickland VL, Stivrins N, AI Sousa, Sinutok S, Scheffel WA, Santos R, Sanderman J, Sánchez-Carrillo S, Sanchez Cabeza JA, Rymer KG, Ruiz-Fernandez AC, Robroek BJM, Roberts T, Ricart AM, Reynolds LK, Rachlewicz G, Prathep A, Pinsonneault AJ, Pendall E, Payne R, Ozola I, Onufrock C, Ola A, Oberbauer SF, Numbere AO, Novak AB, Norkko J, Norkko A, Mozdzer T, Morgan P, Montemayor DI, Martin CW, Malone SL, Major M, Majewski M, Lundquist CJ, Lovelock CE, Liu S, Lin HJ, Lillebo A, Li J, Kominoski JS, Khuroo AA, Kelleway J, Jinks KI, Jerónimo D, Janousek C, Jackson EL, Iribarne O, Hanley T, Hamid M, Gupta A, Guariento RD, Grudzinska I, Gripp AR, González Sagrario MA, Garrison LM, Gagnon K, Gacia E, Fusi M, Farrington L, Farmer J, Esteves FA, Escapa M, Domańska M, Dias ATC, de los Santos CB, Daffonchio D, Czyryca PM, Connolly RM, Cobb A, Chudzińska M, Christiaen B, Chifflard P, Castelar S, Carneiro LS, Cardoso-Mohedano JG, Camden M, Caliman A, Bulmer RH, Bowen J, Boström C, Bernal S, Berges JA, Benavides JC, Barry SC, Alatalo JM, Al-Haj AN, Adame F (2024) Climate effects on belowground tea litter decomposition depend on ecosystem and organic matter types in global wetlands. Environmental Science and Technology PDF

2023
  • ​Sievers M, Brown CJ, McGowan J, Turschwell MP, Buelow CA, Holgate B, Pearson RM, Adame MF, Andradi-Brown DA, Arnell A, Mackey BG, zu Ermgassen PSE, Gosling J, McOwen CJ, Worthington TA, Connolly RM (2023) Co-occurrence of biodiversity, carbon storage, coastal protection, and fish and invertebrate production to inform global mangrove conservation planning. Science of the Total Environment 904:166357 PDF
  • Tevathan-Tackett SM, Callahan DL, Connolly RM, Macreadie PI (2023) Dual indicators link geochemistry to microbiota in blue carbon soils. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 285:108307 PDF
  • Brown CJ, Saint Ange C, Connolly RM, Hasan S, Jackson S, McMahon JM, Smart JCR (2023) Ecosystem services in connected catchment to coast ecosystems: monitoring to detect emerging trends. Science of the Total Environment 869:161670 PDF

2022
  • Hurtado-McCormick V, Tevathan-Tackett SM, Bowen JL, Connolly RM, Duarte CM, Macreadie PI (2022) Pathways for understanding blue carbon microbiomes with amplicon sequencing. Microorganisms 10:2121 PDF

2021
  • Adame MF, Connolly RM, Turschwell MP, Lovelock CE, Fatoyinbo L, Lagomasino D, Goldberg LA, Holdorf J, Friess DA, Sasmito SD, Sanderman J, Sievers M, Buelow C, Kauffman BJ, Bryan-Brown D, Brown CJ (2021) Future carbon emissions from global mangrove forest loss. Global Change Biology 27:2856-2866​ PDF
  • Oncken NS, Croizeau T, Connolly RM, Flindt MR, Kristensen E (2021) Reworking activity of the thalassinidean shrimp Trypaea australiensis Dana 1852 (Decapoda: Pleocyemata: Callinaassidae) in an Australian estuary: a pilot study. Journal of Crustacean Biology 41:1-5 PDF
  • Trevathan-Tackett SM, Kepfer-Rojas S, Engelen AH, York PH,, Ola A, Li J, Kelleway JJ, Jinks KI, Jackson E, Adame MF, Pendall E, Lovelock C, Connolly RM, Watson A, Visby I, Trethowan A, Taylor B, Roberts TNS, Petch J, Farrington L, Djukic I, Macreadie PI (2021) Ecosystem type drives tea litter decomposition and associated prokaryotic microbiome communities in freshwater and coastal wetlands at the continental scale. Science of the Total Environment 782:146819 PDF
  • Becken S, Stantic B, Chen J, Connolly RM (2022) Twitter conversations reveal issue salience of aviation in the broader context of climate change. Journal of Air Transport Management 98:102157 PDF
    Becken S, Friedl H, Stantic B, Connolly RM, Chen J (2021) Climate crisis and flying: social media analysis traces the rise of ‘Flightshame’. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 29:1450-1469​ PDF

2020
  • Harada Y, Connolly RM, Fry B, Maher DT, Sippo JZ, Jeffrey LC, Bourke AJ, Lee SY (2020) Stable isotopes track the ecological and biogeochemical legacy of mass mangrove dieback in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Biogeochemistry 17:5599-5613 PDF

2019
  • Serrano O, Lovelock CE, Atwood TB, Macreadie PI, Canto R, Phinn S, Arias-Ortiz A, Bai L, Baldock J, Bedulli C, Carnell P, Connolly RM, Donaldson P, Esteban A, Ewers-Lewis CJ, Eyre BD, Hayes MA, Horwitz P, Hutley LB, Kavazos CRJ, Kelleway JJ, Kendrick GA, Kilminster K, Lafratta A, Lee SY, Lavery PS, Maher DT,, Marba N, Masque P, Mateo MA, Mount R, Ralph PJ, Roelfsema C, Rozaimi M, Ruhon R, Salinas C, Samper-Villarreal J, Sanderman J, Sanders C, Santos I, Sharples C, Steven ADL, Cannard T, Trevathan-Tackett, Duarte CM (2019) Australian vegetated coastal ecosystems as global hotspots for climate change mitigation. Nature Communications 10:4313 PDF
  • ​Macreadie PI, Anton A, Raven JA, Beaumont N, Connolly RM, Friess DA, Kelleway JJ, Kennedy H, Kuwae T, Lavery PS, Lovelock CE, Smale DA, Apostolaki ET, Atwood TB, Baldock J, Bianchi TS, Chmura GL, Eyre BD, Fourqurean JW, Hall-Spencer JM, Huxham M, Hendriks IE, Krause-Jensen D, Laffoley D, Luisetti T, Marba N, Masque P, McGlathery KJ, Megonigal PJ, Murdiyarso D, Russell BD, Santos R, Serrano O, Silliman BR, Watanabe K, Duarte CM (2019) The future of blue carbon science. Nature Communications 10:3998 PDF

2017
  • Atwood TB, Connolly RM, Almahasheer H, Carnell P, Duarte CM, Ewers Lewis CJ, Irigoien X, Kelleway JJ, Lavery PS, Macreadie PI, Serrano O, Sanders C, Santos I, Steven ADL, Lovelock CE (2017) Global patterns in mangrove soil carbon stocks and losses. Nature Climate Change 7:523-528 PDF
  • 210. Macreadie PI, Atwood TB, Seymour JR, Schmitz Fontes ML, Sanderman J, Nielsen DA, Connolly RM. (2019) Vulnerability of seagrass blue carbon to microbial attack following exposure to warming and oxygen. Science of the Total Environment 686:264-275 PDF
  • 202. Brodersen KE, Trevathan-Tackett SM, Nielsen DA, Connolly RM, Lovelock CE, Atwood TB, Macreadie PI (2019). Oxygen consumption and sulphate reduction in vegetated coastal habitats: effects of physical disturbance. Frontiers in Marine Science 6:14 PDF
  • 182. Ouyang X, Lee SY, Connolly RM (2017) Using isotope labelling to partition sources of CO2 efflux in newly established mangrove seedlings. Limnology and Oceanography 63:731-740 PDF
  • Kristensen E, Connolly RM, Otero XL, Marchand C, Ferreira TO, Rivera-Monroy VH (2017) Biogeochemical cycles: global approaches and perspectives. In: Rivera-Monroy VH, Lee SY, Kristensen E, Twilley RR. Mangrove Ecosystems: A Global Biogeographic Perspective. pp 163-209. Springer, Cham ISBN 978-3-319-62206-4 PDF
  • Macreadie PI, Ollivier Q, Kelleway JJ, Serrano O, Carnell P, Ewers Lewis CJ, Atwood TB, Sanderman J, Baldcock J, Connolly RM, Duarte CM, Lavery P, Steven ADL, Lovelock CE (2017) Carbon sequestration by Australian tidal marshes. Scientific Reports 7:44071 (doi: 10.1038/srep44071) PDF
  • Macreadie PI, Nielsen DA, Kelleway J, Atwood TB, Seymour J, Petrou K, Connolly RM, Thomson ACG, Trevathan-Tackett S, Ralph PJ (2017) Can we manage coastal ecosystems to sequester more blue carbon? Frontiers in Ecology and Environment 15:206-213 PDF
  • Ouyang X, Lee SY, Connolly RM (2017) The role of root decomposition in global mangrove and saltmarsh carbon budgets. Earth Science Reviews 166:53-63 PDF
  • Ouyang X, Lee SY, Connolly RM (2017) Structural equation modelling reveals factors regulating surface sediment organic carbon content and CO2 efflux in a subtropical mangrove. Science of the Total Environment 578:513-522 PDF

2015
  • Atwood TB, Connolly RM, Ritchie EG, Lovelock CE, Heithaus MR, Hays GC, Fourqurean JW, Macreadie PI (2015) Predators help protect carbon stocks in blue carbon ecosystems. Nature Climate Change 5:1038-1045 PDF

2014
  • Hyndes G, Nagelkerken I, McLeod R, Connolly RM, Lavery P, Vanderklift M (2014) Mechanisms and ecological role of carbon transfer within coastal seascapes. Biological Reviews 89:232-254 PDF