Hands-on course “Sizing the Blue Carbon”: success beyond expectations!

Last week (28-30 October 2019) we celebrated the first edition of the international course “Sizing the Blue Carbon” at our headquarters, the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes, Spain (Spanish Council for Scientific Research).

We were blessed with the attendance of 18 participants from all over the world: Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Japan, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, and Tunisia.

Invited speakers from France, Germany, Spain, and Sweden, provided brilliant contributions with cutting edge topics on Blue Carbon research and markets.

From the very first day, participants, speakers and organizers created a convivial and motivating atmosphere that helped to squeeze the time and to benefit from this unique conjunction of experts and highly qualified attendees.

An initial up-to-date overview of the world of Blue Carbon was provided with emphasis in the dynamics of the BC sinks, the role and importance of BC stocks and fluxes in a global context, or its potential in the voluntary carbon markets.

The participants had the chance to participate in a coring demonstration in the field, and in the opening and subsampling techniques of a core. They were instructed in the main laboratory techniques (drying, grinding, digesting, encapsulating, etc.), sample safe storing (humid and wet lithotecs) and labelling, and in-full numerical techniques to estimate the stocks and fluxes of the Blue Carbon. Finally, a brief but didactic practicum on how to design a BC sampling mission based on a given ecosystem extension and resources availability, was performed by the participants in groups. Practical hints were also provided (budgeting hints, international laboratories for organic and isotopic carbon analyses, and for ¹⁴C and ²¹⁰Pb dating services, etc.).

The Group of Aquatic Macrophyte Ecology wants to thank all the participants and speakers for the warm endorsement of our course.

You made it possible!