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Replacing Spartina alterniflora with northward-afforested mangroves has the potential to acquire extra blue carbon
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Replacing Spartina alterniflora with northward-afforested mangroves has the potential to acquire extra blue carbon

Tingting Liu, Xuechu Chen, Minghui Du, Christian J Sanders, Changda Li, Jianwu Tang and Hualei Yang
The Science of the total environment, Vol.921, 170952
15/04/2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170952
PMID: 38360327
Appears in  Recent Faculty of Science and Engineering Publications

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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#13 Climate Action
#14 Life Below Water

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Abstract

Organic carbon stock Climate change Coastal blue carbon Carbon exchange Northward-afforested mangroves
Climate change provides an opportunity for the northward expansion of mangroves, and thus, the afforestation of mangroves at higher latitude areas presents an achievable way for coastal restoration, especially where invasive species S. alterniflora needs to be clipped. However, it is unclear whether replacing S. alterniflora with northward-afforested mangroves would benefit carbon sequestration. In the study, we examined the key CO2 and CH4 exchange processes in a young (3 yr) northward-afforested wetland dominated by K. obovata. We also collected soil cores from various ages (3, 15, 30, and 60 years) to analyze the carbon storage characteristics of mangrove stands using a space-for-time substitution approach. Our findings revealed that the young northward mangroves exhibited obvious seasonal variations in net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) and functioned as a moderate carbon sink, with an average annual NEE of −107.9 g C m−2 yr−1. Additionally, the CH4 emissions from the northward mangroves were lower in comparison to natural mangroves, with the primary source being the soil. Furthermore, when comparing the vertical distribution of soil carbon, it became evident that both S. alterniflora and mangroves contributed to organic carbon accumulation in the upper soil layers. Our study also identified a clear correlation that the biomass and carbon stocks of mangroves increased logarithmically with age (R2 = 0.69, p < 0.001). Notably, both vegetation and soil carbon stocks (especially in the deeper layers) of the 15 yr northward mangroves, were markedly higher than those of S. alterniflora. This suggests that replacing S. alterniflora with northward-afforested mangroves is an effective long-term strategy for future coasts to enhance blue carbon sequestration.

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