Organic carbon accumulation in British saltmarshes

• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172104
• Publication Date: 2024-03-29T16:11:44Z
• Authors: Craig Smeaton; Ed Garrett; Martha B. Koot; Cai J.T. Ladd; Lucy C. Miller; Lucy McMahon; Bradley Foster; Natasha L.M. Barlow; William Blake; W. Roland Gehrels; Martin W. Skov; William E.N. Austin
• Keywords: Salt marsh; Blue carbon; Carbon fibers

Saltmarshes are a crucial component of the coastal carbon (C) system and provide natural climate regulation service through accumulation long-term storage organic (OC) in their soils. These ecosystems under growing pressure from changing increasing anthropogenic disturbance. To manage protect these for C to allow inclusion emissions natural-capital accounting, as well markets, accurate reliable estimates OC required. However, globally, such data rare or varying quality. Here, we quantify sedimentation rates densities 21 saltmarshes Great Britain (GB). We estimate that, on average, accumulate at rate 110.88 ± 43.12 g m−2 yr−1. This is considerably less than widely applied global saltmarsh averages. It therefore highly likely that contribution northern European has been significantly overestimated. Taking account climatic, geomorphological, oceanographic, ecological characteristics all GB areal extent different zones, 451.65 km2 accumulates 46,563 4353 t annually. low underline importance 5.20 0.65 million tonnes already stored vulnerable ecosystems. Going forward protection preservation existing stores must be priority UK this will benefits avoided several times more significant annual