Recognizing the complexity of soil organic carbon dynamics in vegetated coastal habitats.

Abstract

Fu et al. (Global Change Biology, 2020) carried out a comprehensive analysis of 181 soil samples from mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows from the entire length of the Chinese coastline, substantially adding to our knowledge on global carbon storage in vegetated coastal habitats. The study revealed patterns on several scales on the significance of off-site effects, the roles of sea level rise and plant species on organic carbon (OC) stock patterns depending on climate zones and the consequences of anthropogenic alterations of the coastline. Fu et al. (2020) show that understanding OC storage and loss requires a comprehensive approach taking into account land-ocean interactions with special consideration of the significance of allochthonous OC and mechanisms of OC storage.