Chesapeake Bay Restoration Efforts in Virginia Provide Climate Change Benefits

Study Shows Efforts to Improve Water Quality Also Counter Climate Warming

Annapolis, Md – Today, Chesapeake Conservancy’s Conservation Innovation Center (CIC) released a new report, Climate Benefits of Chesapeake Bay Restoration in Virginia. 该报告研究了改善弗吉尼亚州切萨皮克湾流域部分水质的努力如何也提供了帮助从大气中去除碳的第二个好处.

“We wanted to understand better how efforts implemented under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement 通过从大气中去除碳并将其储存在植被或土壤中，改善弗吉尼亚州的水质也可以产生显著的气候缓解效益,” said Chesapeake Conservancy Vice President of Technology Susan Minnemeyer. “结果显示，在整个切萨皮克湾流域扩大保护和恢复措施时，气候变化领导人需要考虑有意义的共同利益. 这证明，旨在改善水质的修复工程也是应对气候变化的有力工具.”

这一估计证实了弗吉尼亚州环境质量部在2020年进行的一项评估的结果，该评估还包括对弗吉尼亚州第三阶段流域实施计划(WIP)的分析。, also known as the WIP,” said Chesapeake Bay Program Manager James Martin. “Our estimates suggest that the water quality actions in Virginia’s WIP, when fully implemented, 能产生超过200万吨的气候减缓协同效益，同时还能改善土壤健康和弗吉尼亚农场对气候变化的适应能力.”

“Based on our analysis for 2019, we estimate that 459,639 tons (416,987 metric tons) of carbon dioxide (CO₂通过农业保护措施，每年从大气中去除的二氧化碳相当于100毫克,” said Chesapeake Conservancy Senior GIS Analyst Emily Wiggans. “这个数量相当于美国平均每年51万英亩的碳固存量.S. forests or approximately 0.4% of Virginia’s energy-related CO₂ emissions.”

这项研究的结果表明，在切萨皮克湾流域内存在着加速气候行动的巨大机会. The 460,弗吉尼亚州农业部门内正在进行的恢复活动每年产生的000吨碳去除效益，只占潜在缓解效益的一小部分，通过有针对性的规划和对有望对水质改善和气候缓解产生最大共同效益的做法的额外投资，可以产生潜在缓解效益. 切萨皮克湾项目为扩大陆地气候解决方案规模提供了强有力的管理框架和技术专长.

Results

分析结果显示，弗吉尼亚州2019年最佳管理实践(bmp)的碳封存总量为459,639 tons (416,987 metric tons) of CO₂ equivalent for one year for practices on 1,699,050 acres of agricultural land. Practices that included the establishment of trees and shrubs removed 188,833 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent on 41,646 acres of farmland, with the greatest amount of carbon sequestered in silvopasture, a conservation practice that increases tree canopy coverage to at least 10%. Silvopasture provides shade for livestock, increases climate resiliency, reduces erosion, improves water quality, enhances wildlife habitat, and improves soil quality. 包括建立多年生木本植被(如树木和灌木)在内的bmp与其他bmp(如减少耕作)相比，每英亩产生的气候缓解效益要大得多, cover cropping and fertilizer management. However, within Virginia’s three million acres of cropland, 可用于乔灌木种植的土地面积远远小于用于作物种植的土地面积. 增加森林和树冠覆盖提供了每英亩最大的碳去除机会, 而可用于覆盖作物或减少耕作等其他农业bmp的英亩数量要大得多. 农田保护措施和草本缓冲带的总固碳量为270,807 tons on 1,657,404 acres of land.

Both types of practices enhance soil carbon, 而只有建立树木和灌木等木本植被的做法才能在地面上吸收大量的碳. 支持森林固碳的科学也比支持可再生农业实践产生的土壤固碳的科学更为成熟. 以英亩计的农田规模已经引起了人们对气候智能型农业的气候效益的极大兴趣. 目前正在进行研究，以提高土壤碳核算的确定性，并建立土壤碳增强实践的协议，以增加对土壤碳增强的信心.

Methodology

确定陆基农业bmp对弗吉尼亚州切萨皮克湾恢复的气候效益的方法使用了 COMET-Planner tool developed by Colorado State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The COMET-Planner tool estimates greenhouse gas reduction and carbon sequestration benefits 基于美国农业部NRCS实践标准在实施实践的州和县. 广泛的温室气体减排来自本研究范围之外的部门. These include conservation practices for animal agriculture, such as improved livestock and manure management. Chesapeake Bay Program BMPs that increased urban and suburban tree planting, 雨水管理和湿地恢复的绿色基础设施不包括在内.

To estimate carbon removal benefits for Virginia BMPs, 确定了2019年切萨皮克湾流域内弗吉尼亚州所有记录的bmp. Next, 确定了由美国农业部自然资源保护局定义的相应保护实践, 并使用COMET-Planner工具估算总二氧化碳当量(CO)₂e) removed from the atmosphere for the area of that practice per county. 碳去除效益仅估计了与NRCS保护实践相匹配的农业bmp.

To read the study in its entirety, visit http://n2r.gharsocho.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Climate-Benefits-of-Chesapeake-Bay.pdf