Wetlands (Carbon Sink Function)
Marshes, swamps and mangroves store huge amounts of carbon in their soils and vegetation, and they buffer floods and droughts. Losing them accelerates climate change; protecting them helps stabilize it.
Scientific detail
Wetlands sequester carbon in waterlogged soils that suppress decomposition, storing disproportionately large carbon stocks per unit area (particularly mangroves and peatlands). Their loss releases stored CO₂ and CH₄. Surface cooling can indirectly protect wetlands by reducing drought stress, evaporation and heat-driven ecosystem degradation.
Related terms
Evaporation Suppression
Reducing water loss from reservoirs and canals by covering the surface with reflective floating films.
Climate Adaptation
Actions that reduce harm from a changing climate here and now.
Greenhouse Effect
The trapping of heat in Earth's atmosphere by gases such as CO₂, methane and water vapour.