Soil carbon fractionation as a tool to monitor coastal wetland rehabilitation

Iroshaka Gregory Cooray; Gareth R L Chalmers; David Chittleborough; Zeinab Ghasemzadeh

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123950

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$Soil carbon fractionation as a tool to monitor coastal wetland rehabilitation$

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Soil carbon fractionation as a tool to monitor coastal wetland rehabilitation

Iroshaka Gregory Cooray, Gareth R L Chalmers, David Chittleborough and Zeinab Ghasemzadeh

Journal of Environmental Management, Vol.373, pp.1-16

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123950

PMID: 39740455

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Abstract

Climate change processes

Soil chemistry and soil carbon sequestration (excl. carbon sequestration science)

Environmental rehabilitation and restoration

soil carbon fractionation

carbon sequestration

wetland restoration

sea level rise

Coastal wetland rehabilitation can provide nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation. The high carbon accumulation rate and carbon secured, potentially for several millennia, as soil organic carbon (SOC), is among the reasons. Measuring SOC storage and accrual over time are the main tools to understand rehabilitation success. However, SOC is partitioned among different organic matter fractions with varying physio-chemical properties and stabilities. In this research, we separated different organic matter fractions based on density (free light fraction: f-LF, occluded light fraction: o-LF and heavy fraction: HF) and solubility (dissolved fraction: DF) from soils taken from a wetland under rehabilitation and a pristine mangrove forest in Queensland, Australia. The f-LF and o-LF contain particulate organic carbon (POCf-LF and POCo-LF), whereas HF consists of mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOCHF). Mangroves are superior to wetlands under rehabilitation and terrestrial forests in terms of C storage in each fraction. Soils from both mangroves and wetlands under rehabilitation are dominated by MAOCHF. However, MAOCHF from mangrove soils are relatively physio-chemically stable, while wetlands under rehabilitation are leaching aged-SOC (>1000 years) from the HF to DF as dissolved organic carbon (DOCDF). Therefore, reducing the risk of mobilisation of aged-SOC can be a key to achieve rehabilitation success.

Details

Title: Soil carbon fractionation as a tool to monitor coastal wetland rehabilitation
Authors: Iroshaka Gregory Cooray (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Gareth R L Chalmers (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
David Chittleborough (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Zeinab Ghasemzadeh - The University of Adelaide
Publication details: Journal of Environmental Management, Vol.373, pp.1-16
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123950
ISSN: 1095-8630
PMID: 39740455
Data Availability: Data will be made available on request.
Grants: Blue Heart Wetland Restoration, 0980027019, Sunshine Coast Council (Australia)
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991090798902621
Output Type: Journal article

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