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Published on: January 7, 2019
Aquaculture-derived carbon and nitrogen fuel N2O emissions and undermine mangrove climate benefits
Lijuan Zhang1, Danqing Huang1, Qingxing Tan1
1Fishery College, Jimei University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.
Abstract:
This study revealed the effects of aquaculture activities on sediment N2O emissions in Zhangjiang Estuary mangrove, southeastern China: (1) the annual average emission rate of N2O was 0.073 t ha-1 yr-1 (19.82 t CO2 eq ha-1 yr-1), offsetting about 43.08% of the climate benefits produced by the carbon sequestration here; (2) Aquaculture-derived NO3 - directly provided substrate for sediment denitrification. Nitrogen inputs with high NH4 +: NO3 - ratios also led to the NO2 - accumulation in the overlying water and sediment pore water, further promoting denitrification. In addition, the input of highly reactive organic matter from aquaculture could directly stimulate denitrification, or indirectly promote it by supporting CH4 oxidation; (3) Although denitrification was accelerated by aquaculture activities, the reduction of N2O was likely inhibited by the acidic conditions of the study area, thus increasing N2O emissions. This study highlights the need to incorporate sustainable aquaculture management into mangrove conservation frameworks.
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