RDE496 Assessment of Tier 1 and Tier 2 emission factors for saltmarsh

The IPCC's 2013 Wetland Supplement (Chapter 4, IPCC, 2014) has set out the methodological guidance for the quantification and accounting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals associated with the management (e.g., drainage, rewetting, extraction of sediment) of coastal areas, specifically mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrass meadows. However, there are major gaps in our current understanding regarding GHG emissions of these ecosystems, as well as the source of carbon within accumulated sediments.

The recent report titled "Defining saltmarsh for potential inclusion in the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) Inventory" by Burden et al. (in review) to the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership, details a roadmap for saltmarshes to be included in the GHG inventory. One of the key data requirements is "Step 6: Assessment of Tier 1 and Tier 2 emission factors for saltmarsh".

This proposed project will allow the development of the Emission Factors (EFs) calculators, determine uncertainties, and understand whether there is sufficient data to replace Tier 1 EFs with country-specific Tier 2 data, and if not highlight further research areas.