Oyster Farming: Carbon Absorber or Emitter?

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Earth & Space Science, Earth Systems, Earth Science, Nature, Wildlife. Sustainability, Global Change, Climate Change

Ed Hessler

"Can Oyster Farming Help Save the Planet?" is the question that tops one of my favorite columns, " Where I Work" for August 14, 2023 (Nature). It is written by Linda Nordling who tells us about the work of ecologist Elena Tamburini, University of Ferrara, Italy.

Nordling tells us that "(Tamburini studies) the environmental effects of oyster, clam and mussel farming" and includes a photo of her "standing in ... , a shallow lagoon in Italy, south of Venice. (She makes) the 120-kilometre (~75 miles) round trip here from the University of Ferrara every week during sampling months — April to the end of July and November to December — to study the growing oysters."

Tamburini hopes to find evidence that supports a hypothesis: "oyster farming absorbs more carbon than it emits."

Here is the link, shortened.