Balnca Bernal and William Mitsch have just published a paper in the Journal of Environmental Quality that looks at the potential of wet lands to serve as carbon sinks. Their paper shows that wetlands accumulate 242 g of carbon m<sup>-2</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup>. This is 70% more than a natural wetland. Wetlands are great at trapping carbon because when plants that grow in the shallow water die, they fall into the water and must be degraded anaerobically. This is a much slower process, and a significant fraction of the carbon may not be degraded for thousands of years. Wet lands are also a great way for farmers to prevent farm runoff, purify the water and provide habitat for wildlife. You can also read a press release about the research.