Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $500,000 to the Massachusetts Geological Survey at UMass Amherst to Measure Carbon Storage in Wetlands

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced nearly $500,000 in grant funding for the Massachusetts Geological Survey (MassGeo) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to develop carbon baseline data for wetland resource areas. This project will measure how much carbon Massachusetts wetlands absorb and release, providing critical data to guide conservation and restoration.   

“This grant will give Massachusetts clear, up-to-date baseline data of how much carbon is stored in our wetlands,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “Data is essential for establishing a clear baseline that will allow us to make smarter decisions about the investments needed to protect and restore these landscapes.” 

Expanding on their existing data inventories and established workflows, the MassGeo team will develop statewide carbon baselines and predictive tools that will deliver guidance for both natural wetlands and managed systems, like cranberry bogs. This work builds on research in tidal wetlands, where MassGeo scientists have pioneered innovative methods to map salt marshes and the and carbon-rich sediments beneath them. Lead scientist Dr. Jin Ho Lee will build off of past work characterizing forest soils across state forests to better understand how wetland and forest ecosystems contribute to climate resilience.  

"Current practices of estimating the carbon being stored in our wetlands, including vast forested wetlands, fail to capture the variability in carbon storage and fluxes across Massachusetts' diverse wetland types and regional settings," said Dr. Lee. “This knowledge gap can hinder decision making around wetlands and associated natural resources.” 

“Massachusetts Geological Survey staff is thrilled to support MassDEP with information that will support sound, smart, and science-based decision making regarding the Commonwealth’s natural resources,” said survey director and State Geologist Brian Yellen. 

In addition to the expert network at MassGeo within UMass Amherst, the geological survey team has teamed up with coastal wetlands experts at Boston University, Dr. Lena Champlin and Dr. Wally Fulweiler, who have developed low cost, efficient ways to measure how greenhouse gases are exchanged between wetlands and the atmosphere. The teams will combine their expertise in freshwater and coastal systems, science, measurement, and modeling through an exciting statewide collaboration. 

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