Abstract
ABSTRACT Introduction: Large stocks of “blue carbon” exist in the ecosystems of coastal wetlands. This paper presents a case study of the Chinese city of Yancheng. First, through field surveys and laboratory analysis, changes in the organic carbon (OC) content in typical plant communities throughout the study area are described in detail. Second, an OC burial rate and economic value model is constructed to analyze the composition of the carbon sink values. Outcomes/other: The results are as follows: Of the typical plant communities, Spartina alterniflora has the highest OC content (5.80 g·kg-1), followed by Suaeda glauca (4.78 g·kg-1) and Phragmites australis (3.76 g·kg-1); the contemporary OC sedimentation rates are 2.01, 1.48, and 1.22 cm·yr-1, respectively. Spartina alterniflora communities have the highest annual average carbon sink value ($418.74/ha) in the study area, followed by Phragmites australis ($176.29/ha) and Suaeda glauca ($101.54/ha). Discussion: As a result of both the expansion of the Spartina alterniflora area and coastal erosion, the total OC value since 1987 has displayed two-stage characteristics: it first increased and then decreased. Conclusion: In recent years, the annual average decline in OC value has ranged from approximately $82,100 to $123,100 (reference: the Sweden carbon tax provided by the World Bank, 130$/ton)
Highlights
Large stocks of “blue carbon” exist in the ecosystems of coastal wetlands
A sudden change occurs at the depth of 86 cm, where the organic carbon (OC) content decreases to the range of 3.76–4.09 g∙kg−1
While there is no notable sudden change point, the changes in the OC content of sample B can still be divided into two stages: at depths of < 82 cm, the OC content ranges from 4.01 to 4.61 g∙kg−1; at depths of 86–100 cm, the OC content decreases to the range of 3.75–3.91 g∙kg−1
Summary
Large stocks of “blue carbon” exist in the ecosystems of coastal wetlands. This paper presents a case study of the Chinese city of Yancheng. Spartina alterniflora communities have the highest annual average carbon sink value ($418.74/ha) in the study area, followed by Phragmites australis ($176.29/ha) and Suaeda glauca ($101.54/ha). Salt marshes, and seagrass beds represent typical coastal wetland ecosystems in which the vegetation and soil store a considerable amount of “blue carbon” (Mcleod et al 2011; Grimsditch et al 2013) in their vegetation and soils. When these wetlands are converted to other uses, this stored carbon can be released in the form of greenhouse gases (Ahmeda et al 2017; Ashok et al 2019; Ewers Lewis et al 2019). The restoration of coastal wetlands may be financed through a growing carbon-offset market; quantitative evaluations of the capacity of coastal ecosystems to store blue carbon and the changes they are facing are garnering increasing attention
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