Methane emission and sulfide levels increase in tropical seagrass sediments during temperature stress: A mesocosm experiment.

Climate change-induced ocean warming is expected to greatly affect carbon dynamics and sequestration in vegetated shallow waters, especially in the upper subtidal where water temperatures may fluctuate considerably and can reach high levels at low tides. This might alter the greenhouse gas balance and significantly reduce the carbon sink potential of tropical seagrass meadows. In order to assess such consequences, we simulated temperature stress during low tide exposures by subjecting seagrass plants () and associated sediments to elevated midday temperature spikes (31, 35, 37, 40, and 45°C) for seven consecutive days in an outdoor mesocosm setup.