The rapid pace of climate change in high latitude seas is promoting the emergence of novel ecosystems in coastal regions as well as
in the open ocean. SEA-Quester will improve our understanding of the causes and consequences of these emerging polar
ecosystems; their potential for blue carbon sequestration, their implications for marine biodiversity, and their role in the global ecobio-
geo-chemical climate system. SEA-Quester will do so with a rigorous analysis of blue carbon stocks and their dynamics, laying the
foundations for a fit-for-purpose blue carbon accounting with balance sheets for not just carbon sequestration, but other impacted
marine ecosystem services such as fisheries production. A key outcome of SEA-Quester will be to develop a thorough means of
quantifying the trade-off between harvesting marine biomass and its net contribution to carbon sequestration: the Biomass-
Sequestration amplification factor. SEA-Quester will ensure effective exploitation of the project results in international scientific
assessments of Blue Carbon potential and by policy-makers (specifically targeting NDC estimates), to ensure dialogue,
communication and dissemination to National and European governmental bodies, European citizens and NGO’s, and to provide
recommendations for optimizing the monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem services in emerging polar environments.