95 / 2023-07-30 09:10:49

Carbon stocks and sequestration rate in seagrass meadows along the coast of China

Carbon stocks,Carbon burial,Organic matter source,seagrass meadows

Seagrass meadows are recognized as significant natural carbon sinks due to their ability to store organic carbon (Corg) in sediments. However, there are still many uncertainties regarding basic information such as average carbon stocks and the spatial heterogeneity of carbon storage in seagrass sediments for various regions. To address this issue, we conducted an intensive coring study to assess the carbon storage capacity of Halophila beccarii, Enhalus acoroides, and Zosteraceae in seagrass meadows along the coast of China. We have estimated that Halophila beccarii meadows store 33.26 Mg C ha^-1 in the top 50 cm-thick soils, with an accumulation rate of 25 g C/m²/yr. Further results from other seagrass meadows will be presented to identify key factors promoting this variability. This study contributes new data to a growing dataset on seagrass blue carbon and explores differences in meadow Corg storage based on various environmental factors, providing a basis for effective management and conservation.