Sea-level rise enhances carbon accumulation in United States tidal wetlands

One Earth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-433
Author(s):  
Ellen R. Herbert ◽  
Lisamarie Windham-Myers ◽  
Matthew L. Kirwan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Tidal Wetlands

scholarly journals Tidal wetland resilience to sea level rise increases their carbon sequestration capacity in United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faming Wang ◽  
Xiaoliang Lu ◽  
Christian J. Sanders ◽  
Jianwu Tang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Tidal Wetlands ◽  
Tidal Wetland ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios

AbstractCoastal wetlands are large reservoirs of soil carbon (C). However, the annual C accumulation rates contributing to the C storage in these systems have yet to be spatially estimated on a large scale. We synthesized C accumulation rate (CAR) in tidal wetlands of the conterminous United States (US), upscaled the CAR to national scale, and predicted trends based on climate change scenarios. Here, we show that the mean CAR is 161.8 ± 6 g Cm−2 yr−1, and the conterminous US tidal wetlands sequestrate 4.2–5.0 Tg C yr−1. Relative sea level rise (RSLR) largely regulates the CAR. The tidal wetland CAR is projected to increase in this century and continue their C sequestration capacity in all climate change scenarios, suggesting a strong resilience to sea level rise. These results serve as a baseline assessment of C accumulation in tidal wetlands of US, and indicate a significant C sink throughout this century.

scholarly journals Global blue carbon accumulation in tidal wetlands increases with climate change

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faming Wang ◽  
Christian J Sanders ◽  
Isaac R Santos ◽  
Jianwu Tang ◽  
Mark Schurech ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Tidal Wetlands ◽  
Tidal Wetland ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Data Limitations

Abstract Coastal tidal wetlands produce and accumulate significant amounts of organic carbon (C) that help to mitigate climate change. However, previous data limitations have prevented a robust evaluation of the global rates and mechanisms driving C accumulation. Here, we go beyond recent soil C stock estimates to reveal global tidal wetland C accumulation and predict changes under relative sea-level rise, temperature and precipitation. We use data from literature study sites and our new observations spanning wide latitudinal gradients and 20 countries. Globally, tidal wetlands accumulate 53.65 (95%CI: 48.52–59.01) Tg C yr−1, which is ∼30% of the organic C buried on the ocean floor. Modelling based on current climatic drivers and under projected emissions scenarios revealed a net increase in the global C accumulation by 2100. This rapid increase is driven by sea-level rise in tidal marshes, and higher temperature and precipitation in mangroves. Countries with large areas of coastal wetlands, like Indonesia and Mexico, are more susceptible to tidal wetland C losses under climate change, while regions such as Australia, Brazil, the USA and China will experience a significant C accumulation increase under all projected scenarios.

scholarly journals Contributions of Organic and Mineral Matter to Vertical Accretion in Tidal Wetlands across a Chesapeake Bay Subestuary

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 751
Author(s):  
Jenny R. Allen ◽  
Jeffrey C. Cornwell ◽  
Andrew H. Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
210Pb Dating ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Mineral Matter ◽  
Tidal Wetlands ◽  
Vertical Accretion ◽  
Inorganic Matter

Persistence of tidal wetlands under conditions of sea level rise depends on vertical accretion of organic and inorganic matter, which vary in their relative abundance across estuarine gradients. We examined the relative contribution of organic and inorganic matter to vertical soil accretion using lead-210 (210Pb) dating of soil cores collected in tidal wetlands spanning a tidal freshwater to brackish gradient across a Chesapeake Bay subestuary. Only 8 out of the 15 subsites had accretion rates higher than relative sea level rise for the area, with the lowest rates of accretion found in oligohaline marshes in the middle of the subestuary. The mass accumulation of organic and inorganic matter was similar and related (R2 = 0.37). However, owing to its lower density, organic matter contributed 1.5–3 times more toward vertical accretion than inorganic matter. Furthermore, water/porespace associated with organic matter accounted for 82%–94% of the total vertical accretion. These findings demonstrate the key role of organic matter in the persistence of coastal wetlands with low mineral sediment supply, particularly mid-estuary oligohaline marshes.

scholarly journals The temperature sensitivity of organic matter decay in tidal marshes

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 6019-6037 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Kirwan ◽  
G. R. Guntenspergen ◽  
J. A. Langley
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Temperature Sensitivity ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Tidal Marshes ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Elevated Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Matter Production ◽  
Soil Elevation

Abstract. Approximately half of marine carbon sequestration takes place in coastal wetlands, including tidal marshes, where ecosystems accumulate organic matter to build soil elevation and survive sea level rise. The long-term viability of marshes, and their carbon pools, depends in part on how the balance between productivity and decay responds to climate change. Here, we report the sensitivity of soil organic matter decay in tidal marshes to seasonal and latitudinal variations in temperature measured over a 3 year period. We find a moderate increase in decay rate at warmer temperatures (3–6% °C−1, Q10 = 1.3–1.5). Despite the profound differences between microbial metabolism in wetlands and uplands, our results indicate a strong conservation of temperature sensitivity. Moreover, simple comparisons with organic matter production suggest that elevated atmospheric CO2 and warmer temperatures will accelerate carbon accumulation in marsh soils, and enhance their ability to survive sea level rise.

scholarly journals Simulating the Effects of Sea Level Rise on the Resilience and Migration of Tidal Wetlands along the Hudson River

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e0152437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nava M. Tabak ◽  
Magdeline Laba ◽  
Sacha Spector
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Tidal Wetlands ◽  
And Migration

scholarly journals Spatial variability of late Holocene and 20th century sea-level rise along the Atlantic coast of the United States

Geology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 1115-1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Engelhart ◽  
B. P. Horton ◽  
B. C. Douglas ◽  
W. R. Peltier ◽  
T. E. Tornqvist
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
The United States

Millions projected to be at risk from sea-level rise in the continental United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 691-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew E. Hauer ◽  
Jason M. Evans ◽  
Deepak R. Mishra
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level

scholarly journals Increased nuisance flooding along the coasts of the United States due to sea level rise: Past and future

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (22) ◽  
pp. 9846-9852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamed R. Moftakhari ◽  
Amir AghaKouchak ◽  
Brett F. Sanders ◽  
David L. Feldman ◽  
William Sweet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
The United States
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