Pathways of blue carbon export from kelp and seagrass beds along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia

Coastal vegetated ecosystems are recognized for their role in cycling and storing carbon in the world’s oceans (i.e., blue carbon); however, high uncertainty in carbon sequestration rates are driven in part by an absence of studies directly estimating carbon export to the deep sea. We modeled export from nearshore kelp forests and seagrass beds, showing that export varies by orders of magnitude across spatial scales (5 – 100s km), kelp and seagrass species, seasons, and forms of carbon, raising caution in using generalized export rates in blue carbon accounting. Our results are also the first to show rapid (within 20-30 days) and extensive export of neutrally buoyant dissolved organic carbon to the shelf break (up to 44% within 90 days), contrasting sinking particulate organic carbon particles that remained within 100 m water depth in the near shore. These results improve estimates of carbon sequestration by nearshore vegetated ecosystems and reveal contrasting patterns of export relati..., , # Pathways of blue carbon export from kelp and seagrass beds along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsc0w](10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsc0w)

## Description of the data and file structure

Files are particle positions during dispersal from Lagrangian Particle Track Modelling of carbon particles released from kelp forests and seagrass beds on the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.

### Files and variables

#### File: Krumhansl\_etal\_POC\_simulation\_outputs\_code.zip

**Description:** Simulation outputs from modeling experiments of kelp and seagrass particulate organic carbon (POC) dispersal.

#### File: Krumhansl\_etal\_DOC\_sumulation\_outputs\_code.zip

**Description:** Simulation outputs from modelling experiments of kelp and seagrass dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dispersal

##### File naming convention and data description

* Names of files show Genus_species_carbontype_subregion_season_duration_variable.txt

Genus_species: Kelps: Laminaria digitata,...,