"Upo Swamp stores 116,000 tons of carbon...190 tons of absorption every year"

A study found that Upo Wetland in South Gyeongsang Province, the country's largest inland wetland, stores more than 110,000 tons of carbon.

The National Nakdonggang Institute of Biological Resources said it has investigated the amount of carbon stored in the sedimentary soil of Upo Swamp since last year and confirmed that about 116,000 tons of carbon were stored in the sedimentary soil 6m deep under the swamp.

In addition, 5.6 millimeters of sedimentary soil accumulates every year, absorbing and storing 190 tons of carbon each year.

It was found that 86% of the total carbon content was stored by stone horses that photosynthesize themselves among plant plankton.

The research team explained that inland wetlands have been highly recognized as carbon sources due to methane emitted by bacteria, but their carbon absorption and storage capacity have been scientifically proven by checking the amount of carbon deposited in the water.