Evolution Characteristics of Wetland Landscape Pattern and Its Impact on Carbon Sequestration in Wuhan from 2000 to 2020

The wetland ecosystem is an important organic carbon pool on earth, and rich carbon storage and high carbon density are present in wetland vegetation and soil. However, large areas of wetlands have been drained, the area of wetlands has shrunk, and the degree of fragmentation has intensified due to rapid urbanization in the past 20 years. Enhancing ecological carbon sequestration capacity is a key task of carbon peaking and neutrality, and studying the carbon sequestration function of urban wetland is urgently needed. In this work, the wetland in Wuhan was taken as the main research object. The landscape pattern index of Wuhan wetland was calculated and the evolution characteristics of landscape pattern were analyzed using the remote sensing image interpretation data from 2000 to 2020. CASA model was used to estimate the carbon sequestration of wetlands and explore the spatial and temporal distribution pattern of carbon sequestration. Spearman correlation was used to study the effects of different landscape pattern parameters on carbon sequestration. Results indicate the following: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the total wetland area in Wuhan has been reduced by 158.99 km(2), among which the area of lakes, reservoirs and marshes decreased by 60.65 km(2), 55.51 km(2) and 41.77 km(2), respectively. The density of wetland patches and the degree of fragmentation and irregularity increased, and the LPI, aggregation degree and diversity decreased. (2) In the past 20 years, the total carbon sequestration amount of wetland in Wuhan first decreased and then increased, among which the carbon sequestration in wetland was the lowest in 2010 (571,900 t). The amount of carbon sequestration in 2020 was the same as that in 2000, reaching 800,000 t. (3) A larger wetland area means more concentrated and denser distribution, more complex shape, more diverse type, and stronger carbon sequestration capacity for Wuhan wetland. On the contrary, the distribution of wetlands becomes more fragmented and regular, and the disordered planning leads to the reduction in wetland types in a unit area, which will decrease the carbon sink capacity of urban wetlands.

Automated summary

The wetland ecosystem plays a vital role as an organic carbon pool on Earth, with wetland vegetation and soil storing rich carbon and displaying high carbon density. However, due to rapid urbanization in the past 20 years, large areas of wetlands have been drained, resulting in wetland area reduction and intensified fragmentation. Enhancing the ecological carbon sequestration capacity of urban wetlands is crucial for carbon peaking and neutrality. This study focuses on Wuhan wetland, calculating the landscape pattern index and analyzing the evolution characteristics of landscape pattern using remote sensing image interpretation data from 2000 to 2020. The CASA model is utilized to estimate the carbon sequestration of wetlands and explore the spatial and temporal distribution pattern. The results demonstrate changes in wetland area, carbon sequestration, and the relationship between landscape pattern parameters and carbon sequestration levels.