Inclusion of Coastal Wetlands in the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks?

Abstract:

The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has requested that Parties included in Annex 1 to the Convention submit to the secretariat by 1 March 2017 information on their experience in the use of the 2013 Supplement to the 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands (Wetlands Supplement). A Coastal Wetland Carbon Working Group has been established to support EPA’s efforts to incorporate the coastal component of the IPCC Wetlands Supplement into the of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks and provide input for the 2017 paper to the IPCC on experience with the Supplement. Here we report on analytical progress towards inclusion of anthropogenic impacts on coastal wetlands GHG fluxes within the Inventory. We outline estimates of GHG emissions and removals on coastal wetlands and review information needs to fill gaps in quantification of activity data and emissions factors, as well as opportunities to increase the resolution of analysis where data are available.