British Antarctic Survey are looking for a Geographic Analyst to work on a project which will provide key policy advice on how to best safeguard existing and emerging blue
carbon sinks around Antarctica
Background
The Southern Ocean around Antarctica holds an abundant and rich biodiversity, the vast majority of which are endemic species, living on the seabed. This life in Earth’s coldest waters provides powerful ecosystem services (nature’s benefits to society), one of which is climate mitigation by capture and export of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to burial below ocean sediments. This ?blue carbon’, is held within the bodies of marine organisms, captured by photosynthesis of algae, then stored by a wide variety of long lived animals in the foodweb and eventually buried in deep water sediments. Unlike carbon sinks
elsewhere around the world, those around Antarctica appear to be currently increasing, thus providing a negative (mitigating) feedback on climate change. The proposed project aims to bring together all existing quantitative information on the extent of blue carbon around Antarctica. This data will be checked, standardised and mapped to show the geography of existing knowledge of Anatrctica’s blue carbon Natural Capital.
If you have any questions relating to the post, please contact dbarnes@awi polarstern.de
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