It is becoming increasingly recognized that coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves and seagrass, sequester and store large quantities of blue carbon in both the plants and the sediments below them. Like carbon sinks on land, such as forests, they hold vast reservoirs of carbon, and management is needed to retain such reserves. The role of
seagrass in the carbon budget is more significant than expected from aerial cover; this ecosystem is responsible for about 15% of total carbon storage in the ocean.