Abstract
Severely degraded coastal salt marshes with impaired ecological functions urgently need to be restored to improve blue carbon sequestration. Although plant residues and biochar have been used to restore degraded wetlands, the dose-effects of these plant additives on soil organic carbon fractions in degraded coastal wetlands are still unclear. Here, we investigated the dynamic changes in DOC components and mineral-associated organic carbon, such as calcium-bound organic carbon (Ca-OC) and iron/aluminum-bound organic carbon (Fe/Al-OC), in a degraded coastal salt marsh in a 60-day incubation experiment with low (0.1%), medium (1%), and high (3%) doses of Phragmites australis straw (PS) and Phragmites australis-derived biochar (PB) addition treatments. The results showed that the medium and high doses of PB additives increased humus-like substances, with the maximum proportion occurring on day 60 of the incubation. The fluorescence index (FI) and biological index (BIX) were >1.9 and 0.8, respectively, and the humification index (HIX) was < 4 in most treatment groups. The mineral-associated organic carbon (Ca-OC and Fe/Al-OC) contents were higher in the 1% PS and 3% PS treatments (p < 0.05). The PS additives increased the soil Ca-OC/SOC and Fe/Al-OC/SOC ratios, whereas the PB additives decreased them. This study demonstrated that PS and PB are potential carbon-rich additives for enhancing soil organic carbon stability and carbon sequestration in coastal wetland restoration projects, contributing to regional carbon neutrality.
Published Version
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