- Title
- Carbon sequestration in Australian estuarine wetlands
- Creator
- Howe, A.; Rodríguez, J. F.; Saco, P. M.
- Relation
- Water Down Under 2008. Proceedings of Water Down Under 2008: Incorporating 31st Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, and, 4th International Conference on Water Resources and Environment Research (Adelaide, S.A. 15-17 April, 2008) p. 1248-1259
- Publisher
- Engineers Australia/Causal Productions
- Resource Type
- conference paper
- Date
- 2008
- Description
- Estuarine wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. Only recently has the contribution of these wetlands to the global carbon budget been acknowledged. Wetlands in general are known to be important carbon sinks but their positive contribution to reducing the greenhouse effect is believed to be balanced by methane emission. Estuarine wetlands are particularly good at storing soil carbon with minimal release of greenhouse gases. Carbon sequestration in these environments is strongly linked to sediment accumulation rates. Research at a wetland in the Hunter estuary, NSW, has tracked sediment accumulation and soil carbon over a two year period (2005-2007). Total soil carbon levels were in the 1.5-5.8% range with a general increase across the substrates sampled where tidal pools < mangrove < saltmarsh pannes < saltmarsh, although the difference was significant only at the end points of this continuum. Carbon sequestration rates ranged from 1.18 Mg C. ha⁻¹.y⁻¹ for tidal pools to 2.02 Mg C. ha⁻¹.y⁻¹for saltmarsh. The carbon sequestration and storage capacity of estuarine wetlands in the Hunter is substantial, but in decline due to the loss of estuarine vegetation particularly over the last fifty years. Further research is required to quantify sediment accretion and carbon sequestration rates in unvegetated estuarine substrates, and the depth distribution of carbon in both vegetated and unvegetated substrates.
- Subject
- estuarine wetlands; ecosystems; carbon sinks; carbon sequestration
- Identifier
- uon:6093
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/802445
- Identifier
- ISBN:0858257351
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