Mud, glorious mud!

Let’s face it, a muddy seabed is not the most charismatic of settings. And, with a low perceived value for biodiversity, historically mud has not been a high priority for protection. In this episode we meet Zoe Roseby, a sedimentologist working at the University of Exeter. Zoe explains where seabed mud comes from and which areas of mud are vulnerable to disturbance. The seabed sediments around the UK tell the story of the last ice age, changes in sea level, and recent human activities like trawling. We talk about MPAs and protecting mud for climate benefit. But to determine if a mud basin is vulnerable in terms of losing the carbon it stores, it is important to understand its history and the type of carbon held in the mud—which varies from site to site and even within sites. Zoe is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Exeter working with the Convex Seascape Survey, a five-year project which is run by the University of Exeter and the Blue Marine Foundation and funded by the Convex Insurance Group to investigate carbon in continental shelf sediments.Read Zoe’s research paper to find out more: Vulnerability of blue carbon stocks to disturbance in sediments with low burial efficiencyFind out more about the Convex Seascape Survey.Text us your comments and feedbackThanks for listening!If you have any questions you can contact us at the Marine Biological Association here.Join the Marine Biological Association and receive four copies a year of The Marine Biologist, our prestigious and beautifully curated magazine. MBA membership comes with a host of other benefits. Follow us on social: www.facebook.com/thembaukwww.instagram.com/thembauk@thembauk.bsky.social