Abstract
The physical and chemical properties of coastal soils in China have changed due to the development of reclaimed stretches of coastline, which has a significant impact on the dynamics of organic carbon (OC) in the soils. We evaluated changes in the physical and chemical properties of soils in both a natural area and a reclaimed area along the coast of Rudong County, China, as well as the effects that these changes had on the OC content of the soils. A partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was used to determine which factors are most important for driving changes in soil OC at four sites from each area. According to dominant vegetation types, there were significant differences in soil physical and chemical properties and OC content between the reclaimed area and natural coastal area. The mean grain size and pH increased gradually with depth, and values were highest in reclaimed areas. Mean total N (TN), P, and S, salinity, water content, and soil OC were highest in natural areas and decreased with depth. The PLSR model determined that TN, silt content, and sand content were the most important factors affecting soil OC in the reclaimed area, whereas TN, clay content, and water content were important factors affecting soil OC dynamics in the natural coastal areas. This study provides important reference data for correctly assessing the role and status of coastal areas in the global carbon cycle.
Highlights
The rapid increase in the levels of greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution—especially CO2 —has exacerbated global warming [1], and reducing the risk of climate change is a major challenge worldwide
In reclaimed areas, activities are conducive to the formation of soil aggregates [15], and the mean grain size increases
The areas dominated by P. australis and Aeluropus are located within the reclaimed area and are no longer affected by tidal invasion
Summary
Especially CO2 —has exacerbated global warming [1], and reducing the risk of climate change is a major challenge worldwide. Carbon pool expansion represents a practical way to mitigate global warming by offsetting anthropogenic CO2 emissions [2]. The ocean is the largest carbon sequestration on Earth, and plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. It stores approximately 93% of the global CO2 and has absorbed more than one-third of CO2 emitted since the Industrial Revolution [3,4]. As such, increasing the carbon sequestration capacity of coastal zones is important for climate change mitigation Coastal zones, including tidal marshes, only account for 0.2% of the global ocean area; they are the principal zones for marine carbon burial and 50% of the total marine carbon is stored in coastal marine sediments [5].
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