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Tracing Blue Carbon Flows Across Diverse Seascapes
Christopher J Fulton1,2, Diego R Barneche1,2, Kay Davis1
1Australian Institute of Marine Science, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
Global Change Biology
|August 15, 2025
Summary
Coastal wetlands sequester significant carbon, but most soil organic carbon originates from external sources, not local plants. Understanding these diverse carbon contributors is vital for managing blue carbon ecosystems effectively.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology and ecology
- Biogeochemistry
- Climate change science
Background:
- Coastal ecosystems like saltmarshes, mangroves, and seagrasses are crucial for carbon sequestration.
- Blue carbon, or organic carbon (Corg) stored in coastal sediments, plays a vital role in mitigating climate change.
- Accurately assessing carbon sources is essential for effective conservation and management strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the relative contributions of local (autochthonous) and external (allochthonous) sources to soil organic carbon in coastal wetlands.
- To investigate how different coastal plant habitats influence carbon sequestration.
- To identify key factors affecting the accuracy of carbon source estimations.
Main Methods:
- Compiled a global dataset of coastal soil carbon measurements.
- Employed a Bayesian hierarchical meta-regression model to analyze carbon sources.
- Investigated soil organic carbon origins in tidal saltmarsh, mangrove, and seagrass ecosystems.
Main Results:
- The majority of soil organic carbon in coastal wetlands originates from allochthonous (external) sources, rather than from the habitat-forming plants themselves.
- Significant variation exists in the estimated contributions of different carbon sources based on study design.
- All tested coastal wetland types showed a predominant allochthonous Corg contribution.
Conclusions:
- Effective management of blue carbon seascapes requires recognizing the diverse sources contributing to soil carbon sequestration.
- Study design elements, including sampling depth and analytical methods, significantly influence the interpretation of carbon source contributions.
- A standardized approach is needed to improve the tracking of soil carbon sequestration drivers in coastal vegetation mosaics.
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