Study: Surf Breaks Key to Health of Climate, Ecosystems, Coastal Communities

Safeguarding places to catch waves is an opportunity to simultaneously mitigate
climate change, fuel tourism and help surrounding ecosystems — according to new
research from Oregon State University (OSU).

“There is a growing conservation movement regarding coastal areas that host surf
breaks,” said Jacob
Bukoski — Assistant
Professor at OSU’s College of Forestry,
Director of its Forests and Climate Change graduate
certificate,
and one of the study’s co-authors. “Earlier research showed that surf breaks
tend to be biodiversity hotspots, but no one had looked at the stocks of carbon
held within these ecosystems — carbon that could drive climate change if
disturbed and lost.”

In the study, published in Conservation Science &
Practice,
Bukoski and collaborators identified more than 88 million tons of
“irrecoverable” carbon in the land-based ecosystems surrounding 3,602 surf
breaks around the globe.

Surf breaks — nearshore areas whose special mix of coastal and seafloor
characteristics creates the waves surfers crave — are often found in or near
ecosystems that are conservation priorities, such as coral reefs and mangrove
forests.

Irrecoverable carbon is defined as carbon stored in nature that, if lost, could
not be replenished within 30 years. Carbon sequestration is a key component of
climate-change mitigation.

Bukoski stressed that the study did not take into account the significant, but
harder to quantify, carbon stocks in the marine portion of surf break areas. The
scientists looked at 28,500 square kilometers of watersheds that drain into surf
areas — their analysis showed that more than 17 million tons of irrecoverable
surf-break carbon are found in places categorized as key biodiversity areas but
lacking any kind of formal protection. Just 3 percent of surf breaks are both
formally protected and in a key biodiversity area.

Irrecoverable carbon density in surf ecosystems tends to be highest in the
tropics and gets lower farther from the equator, with the exception of coastal
forests in the Pacific Northwest.

“Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and temperate conifer forests combined to
hold nearly one-quarter of the carbon we found,” said Bukoski, who collaborated
with scientists from Arizona State University, California State University,
Channel Islands, Conservation International and Save the Waves
Coalition.

Oregon ranks second among US states for irrecoverable surf-break carbon at
almost 3.5 million tons. California leads the way at just under 7 million tons;
and rounding out the top 10 are North Carolina, Florida, Texas,
Washington, Virginia, New Jersey, South Carolina and
Massachusetts.

Increasingly, surf breaks are being recognized as socio-environmental phenomena
that can bring opportunity for sustained benefits for local communities, the
authors say. They point to the potential intersection of the surf tourism
industry — valued at as much as $65 billion globally — and the continuously
growing carbon-credit
market.

“Despite their high and multifaceted value, surf breaks and their surrounding
environments face all kinds of threats — including coastal development,
degradation of habitats, and impacts from climate change like rising sea
levels,” Bukoski said. “When carbon-dense ecosystems are converted to other
uses, they pump out large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Expanded conservation of surf ecosystems — both their marine and onshore
components — could provide a range of benefits in addition to biodiversity
conservation
and climate-change
mitigation.”

Coastal estuaries, he explains, help with nutrient cycling, control
sedimentation and act as nurseries for young fish. Healthy upland ecosystems
reduce erosion, which means better habitats and also reduced risk of illness to
surfers because of improved water quality.

“Coral
reefs
shape surf breaks and provide fishing grounds, offer non-surfing recreational
opportunities such as diving, and protect shorelines,” Bukoski added. “And just
as importantly, ecosystems associated with surf breaks are culturally and
spiritually valuable to communities around the world.”

He noted that irrecoverable carbon constitutes only a fraction of the total
carbon stored in surf ecosystems. Given resource and time constraints,
irrecoverable is the type of carbon that should be prioritized for conservation,
“but any carbon lost to ecosystem conversion will affect the climate.”

“Our results suggest a significant opportunity for surf conservation to
strengthen protection of climate-critical carbon stocks,” Bukoski stated. “At
the end of the day, we should be shredding waves, not ecosystem carbon.”