A MONITORING tower has been installed to measure the amount of carbon locked in a new Poole Harbour saltmarsh.

The Environment Agency’s (EA) new structure at Arne Moor is a flux tower and joins a growing network of towers in saltmarshes across England.

Flux towers provide a measure of how much carbon dioxide has been taken up by a saltmarsh and how it changes over time.

This tower will be the first to monitor what happens to carbon within a habitat as it changes from dry land to a salty wet intertidal habitat when the existing flood embankment is breached as part of the Moors at Arne project.

Dr Ben Green, a senior advisor in the EA's estuaries and coasts planning team, said: “The Arne Moor flux tower is the latest piece in the puzzle to better understand the ability of saltmarshes to store carbon.

“This is a perfect opportunity for us to chart the benefits of a new saltmarsh from its creation.”

Peter Robertson, senior site manager at RSPB Arne nature reserve on the banks of Poole Harbour, added: “UK saltmarshes are globally important for wildlife, but they are also vital for our way of life, whether that’s fishing, protecting communities from flooding or storing carbon.

“We’re really excited that saltmarsh created by the Moors at Arne project will be studied to understand more about these superpower habitats, and hope that this will lead to further protection and restoration efforts for saltmarshes across the UK.”