Spatial distribution patterns of annual soil carbon accumulation and carbon storage in the Jiuduansha wetland of the Yangtze River estuary.

Abstract

Wetlands are important carbon (C) pools for terrestrial ecosystems, and C stored in different types of wetlands accounts for about 30% of total terrestrial C. As one of the most important ecological barriers in Shanghai, with functions of climate regulation, interception, and purification, and as a C sink, the Jiuduansha wetland has received research attention. However, little research has been done on the spatial differences in amount of average annual net C accumulation and C storage of each shoal: Jiangya Nansha, Shangsha, and Zhongxiasha. In this study, plant biomass, plant organic C, soil respiration, soil organic C content, and soil bulk density of different vegetation zones in the three shoals were analyzed to determine the spatial variability of annual net C accumulation capability and soil organic C storage of the Jiuduansha wetland. The results showed that the Zhongxiasha shoal played the most important role as a C sink, and it accumulated 77,839.44 t organic C per year. Regarding the annual C accumulation capacity per unit area, the Phragmites communis zone was higher than for all other vegetation zones, indicating that P. communis had the greatest C accumulation capacity. 7835.38 t, 46,827.41 t, and 173,623.1 t of organic C were stored in the Jiangya Nansha, Shangsha, and Zhongxiasha shoals, respectively. The C storage in soil was closely related to annual C accumulation, and there were two main reasons for the difference of spatial pattern of annual C accumulation: biomass and properties of plants and the properties of tidal water.