Biological Dynamics for Sustainable Carbon Sequestration

Shahna Manakat Vakeri, Sami Souissi, Erlantz Lizundia, James William Mcelhinnney, Blaise Leopold Tardy 

Earth’s atmosphere is shaped by the interplay of biological systems operating across interlinked biogeochemical cycles and, more recently, by anthropogenic emissions. Here, we thoroughly examine the potential for engineering biological systems across ecosystems for sustainable carbon storage. This centralization and comparative analysis of the potential of all key global ecosystems aims to facilitate the integration of nature-based carbon sequestration solutions into the portfolio of solutions currently being explored. Beyond reporting the potential for long-term carbon storage of the various ecosystems present globally, we show that biological equilibria strongly influence biological carbon dynamics. Consequently, routes for the strategic implementation of biological carbon sequestration in out-of-equilibrium systems are put forward. As carbon sequestration by ecosystems is typically linked to other benefits such as food production and expansion of their service value, we expect that the expansion and integration of by-design biological carbon sequestration could significantly contribute to the management of atmospheric carbon.