TY - JOUR T1 - A global dataset of seaweed net primary productivity JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/2021.07.12.452112 SP - 2021.07.12.452112 AU - Albert Pessarrodona AU - Karen Filbee-Dexter AU - Kira A. Krumhansl AU - Pippa J. Moore AU - Thomas Wernberg Y1 - 2021/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/07/13/2021.07.12.452112.abstract N2 - Net primary productivity (NPP) plays a pivotal role in the global carbon balance, but estimating the NPP of underwater habitats remains a challenging task. Seaweeds (marine macroalgae) form the largest and most productive underwater vegetated habitat on Earth. Yet, little is known about the distribution of their NPP at large spatial scales, despite more than 70 years of local-scale studies being scattered throughout the literature. We present a global dataset containing NPP records for 242 seaweed species at 419 individual sites distributed on all continents from the intertidal to 55 m depth. All records are standardized to annual aerial carbon production (g C m-2 yr-1) and are accompanied by detailed taxonomical and methodological information. The dataset presented here provides a basis for local, regional and global comparative studies of the NPP of underwater vegetation, and is pivotal for achieving a better understanding of the role seaweeds play in the global coastal carbon cycle.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest. ER -