Cited by 430Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamicsPeatlands and Wetlands EcologySoil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics

Organic carbon burial rates in mangrove sediments: strengthening the global budget

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Breithaupt, Joshua L., Smoak, Joseph M., Smith, Thomas J., Sanders, Christian J., Hoare, Armando·2012·Global Biogeochemical Cycles

Abstract

Mangrove wetlands exist in the transition zone between terrestrial and marine environments and as such were historically overlooked in discussions of terrestrial and marine carbon cycling. In recent decades, mangroves have increasingly been credited with producing and burying large quantities of organic carbon (OC). The amount of available data regarding OC burial in mangrove soils has more than doubled since the last primary literature review (2003). This includes data from some of the largest, most developed mangrove forests in the world, providing an opportunity to strengthen the global estimate. First‐time representation is now included for mangroves in Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand, along with additional data from Mexico and the United States. Our objective is to recalculate the centennial‐scale burial rate of OC at both the local and global scales. Quantification of this rate enables better understanding of the current carbon sink capacity of mangroves as well as helps to quantify and/or validate the other aspects of the mangrove carbon budget such as import, export, and remineralization. Statistical analysis of the data supports use of the geometric mean as the most reliable central tendency measurement. Our estimate is that mangrove systems bury 163 (+40; −31) g OC m −2 yr −1 (95% C.I.). Globally, the 95% confidence interval for the annual burial rate is 26.1 (+6.3; −5.1) Tg OC. This equates to a burial fraction that is 42% larger than that of the most recent mangrove carbon budget (2008), and represents 10–15% of estimated annual mangrove production. This global rate supports previous conclusions that, on a centennial time scale, 8–15% of all OC burial in marine settings occurs in mangrove systems.

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  • Coastal ecosystems are highly productive in photosynthetically sequestering atmospheric CO2, and a varying fraction of C is buried in tidally inundated suboxic and anoxic sediments, largely preventing return to the atmosphere.

    “These coastal ecosystems are highly productive in photosynthetically sequestering atmospheric CO2,203 and a varying fraction of C is buried in tidally inundated suboxic and anoxic sediments and thereby largely prevented from returning to the atmosphere.204”

    From Technologies and perspectives for achieving carbon neutrality (2021) · cites this paper as [204]

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  1. Solomon, S., et al. (2007), Technical summary, in Climate Change 2007: The Scientific Basis: Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, pp. 19-91, Cambridge Univ. Press, New York.

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Authors
Breithaupt, J. L., Smoak, J. M., Smith, T. J., Sanders, C. J., & Hoare, A.
Affiliations
  • University of South Florida St. Petersburg (US)
  • United States Geological Survey (US)
  • Universidade Federal Fluminense (BR)
Corresponding author
Breithaupt, Joshua L.
Venue
Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Published
2012-08-04
Volume
26
Issue
3
ISSN
  • 0886-6236 (ISSN-L)
  • 1944-9224
OpenAlex
W1742982491
Cited by
428
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 28 · 2025: 35 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 47 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 47 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 2
FWCI
12.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Global Biogeochemical Cycles (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Cross Connect (Southern Cross University) (submittedVersion)
  • Digital Archive @ University of South Florida (University of South Florida) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
  • Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
Keywords
mangrove sediments, organic carbon burial, carbon sequestration, geometric mean, carbon remineralization, carbon export, ocean carbon cycle, mangrove wetlands

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