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Annual Carbon Mineralization and Belowground Production of Spartina Alterniflora in a New England Salt Marsh
Author(s) -
Howes Brian L.,
Dacey John W. H.,
Teal John M.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1940408
Subject(s) - spartina alterniflora , salt marsh , mineralization (soil science) , dissolved organic carbon , total inorganic carbon , total organic carbon , blue carbon , environmental chemistry , sediment , spartina , environmental science , carbon fibers , carbon dioxide , organic matter , carbon sequestration , carbon cycle , chemistry , marsh , ecology , wetland , soil science , geology , soil water , ecosystem , biology , paleontology , materials science , composite number , composite material , organic chemistry
The annual rates and depth distribution of organic carbon mineralization to CO 2 were determined in sediments supporting stands of short Spartina alterniflora. Carbon dioxide production was estimated by two independent techniques. We constructed a CO 2 budget based on measurements of CO 2 emission from the sediment to the atmosphere, export of dissolved inorganic carbon in porewater exchange, and changes in the porewater pool of dissolved inorganic carbon throughout the year. We also measured CO 2 production in salt marsh sediments by monitoring changes in total inorganic carbon in cores. The estimates obtained by the two methods were similar, giving a total annual CO 2 production of between 67 and 70 mol°m — 2 °yr — 1 . We also measured the losses of organic matter as methane (O.1—0.3 mol°m — 2 °yr — 1 ) and dissolved organic carbon (0—3 mol°m — 2 °yr — 1 ) and burial (7.4 mol°m — 2 °yr — 1 ) in order to construct a carbon budget for the sediments. These data, when combined with the estimates of carbon mineralization, gave an estimate for the organic carbon loading to the sediments of 68—78 mol°m — 2 °yr — 1 . About 95% of the annual carbon input either decomposes to CO 2 in situ or is buried, and <5% is exported from the sediment. We estimated that belowground C production in short S. alterniflora in this Massachusetts marsh is 58—75 mol°m — 2 °yr — 1 .