Table 1 Estimated annual carbon fixation for three model species, H. grandifolius, P. decipiens, and CCA using published photosynthetic parameters48,49,50 and modelled seafloor light across the Ross Sea and entire Antarctic region (Gattuso et al., 202044)

From: Deep-living and diverse Antarctic seaweeds as potentially important contributors to global carbon fixation

Species

Carbon fixed (Tg yr−1)

Percentage of global carbon fixed by macroalgae

Ross Sea

Antarctica

Ross Sea

Antarctica

H. grandifolius

0.2–1.0

3–14

0.02–0.08

0.3–1.1

P. decipiens

0.6–1.2

7.5–15

0.05–0.09

0.6–1.2

CCA

0.1–0.5

1.3–7.9

0.008–0.03

0.1–0.6

Total

1–2.7

12–37

0.07–0.2

0.9–2.8

  1. Fixed carbon is specified as Terra grams carbon fixed per annum and as a percentage of estimated annual global macroalgal carbon fixation (see Duarte et al., 202214).