Soil Carbon Stocks Vary Across Geomorphic Settings in Australian Temperate Tidal Marsh Ecosystems

Tidal marshes rank among the ecosystems with the highest capacity to sequester and store organic carbon (C-org) on earth. To inform conservation of coastal vegetated ecosystems for climate change mitigation, this study investigated the factors driving variability in carbon storage. We estimated soil C(org)stocks in tidal marshes across temperate Western Australia and assessed differences among geomorphic settings (marine and fluvial deltas, and mid-estuary) and vegetation type (Sarcocornia quinquefloraandJuncus kraussii) linked to soil biogeochemistry. Soil C(org)stocks within fluvial and mid-estuary settings were significantly higher (209 +/- 14 and 211 +/- 20 Mg C-org ha(-1), respectively; 1-m-thick soils) than in marine counterparts (156 +/- 12 Mg C-org ha(-1)), which can be partially explained by higher preservation of soil C(org)in fluvial and mid-estuary settings rich in fine-grained (< 0.063 mm) sediments (49 +/- 3% and 47 +/- 4%, respectively) compared to marine settings (23 +/- 4%). Soil C(org)stocks were not significantly different betweenS. quinquefloraandJ. kraussiimarshes (185 +/- 13 and 202 +/- 13 Mg C-org ha(-1), respectively). The higher contribution of tidal marsh plus supratidal vegetation in fluvial (80%) and intermediate (76%) compared to marine (57%) settings further explains differences in soil C(org)stocks. The estimated soil C(org)stocks in temperate Western Australia's tidal marshes (57 Tg C(org)within similar to 3000 km(2)extent) correspond to about 2% of worldwide tidal marsh soil C(org)stocks. The results obtained identify global drivers of soil C(org)storage in tidal marshes and can be used to target hot spots for climate change mitigation based on tidal marsh conservation.

Automated summary

This study investigated factors driving variability in carbon storage in temperate Western Australia tidal marshes, finding that soil C(org)stocks were significantly higher in fluvial and mid-estuary settings compared to marine counterparts, possibly due to higher preservation of soil C(org) in fine-grained sediments. Additionally, the contribution of tidal marsh plus supratidal vegetation in different geomorphic settings also influenced soil C(org)stocks.