Article (Scientific journals)
Sediment carbon sink in low-density temperate eelgrass meadows (Baltic Sea)
Jankowska, Emilia; Michel, Loïc; Zaborska, Agata et al.
2016In Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, 121 (12), p. 2918-2934
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Keywords :
Zostera marina; Baltic Sea; Blue Carbon; Carbon cycle; coastal biogeochemistry; stable isotopes; mixing model; siar; seagrass
Abstract :
[en] Seagrass meadows are highly productive habitats that can act as “blue carbon sinks” in coastal ecosystems by facilitating sedimentation and trapping particles. However, the magnitude and occurrence of these effects may be species and density dependent. The present study is the first estimation of seagrass sediment carbon sink in the temperate Zostera marina beds in the Baltic Sea. Several descriptors of organic matter characteristics, along with possible organic matter sources in the sediment were compared at vegetated and unvegetated bottoms. The 210Pb dating of the sediment has been used for accumulation rate assessment. The photopigments and POC concentrations in sediments were higher in vegetated bottoms. The SIAR (Stable Isotopes in R) mixing model based on nitrogen and carbon stable isotope values, indicated that higher percentages of organic matter originated from seagrass production in vegetated sediments (40–45%) compared to unvegetated ones (5–21%). The carbon stock in the upper 10 cm of the vegetated sediments ranged from 50.2 ± 2.2 to 228.0 ± 11.6 (g m−2), whereas the annual C accumulation amount from 0.84 ± 0.2 to 3.85 ± 1.2 (g m−2 yr−1). Our study shows that even the relatively weakly developed vegetation of the small temperate seagrass species enhance organic carbon concentration in the sediments. Estimated carbon stock was much lower than those reported for most of the seagrass meadows elsewhere, and the carbon burial rate was the lowest ever reported. Evidently, the global calculations of sediment carbon stock should be reconsidered by taking into account density and species-related variability.
Research center :
MARE - Centre Interfacultaire de Recherches en Océanologie - ULiège
FOCUS - Freshwater and OCeanic science Unit of reSearch - ULiège
Disciplines :
Aquatic sciences & oceanology
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Jankowska, Emilia;  Institute of Oceanography Polish Academy of Sciences
Michel, Loïc  ;  Université de Liège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Océanographie biologique
Zaborska, Agata;  Institute of Oceanography Polish Academy of Sciences
Włodarska‐Kowalczuk, Maria;  Institute of Oceanography Polish Academy of Sciences
Language :
English
Title :
Sediment carbon sink in low-density temperate eelgrass meadows (Baltic Sea)
Publication date :
December 2016
Journal title :
Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences
ISSN :
2169-8953
eISSN :
2169-8961
Publisher :
Wiley, Hoboken, United States - New Jersey
Volume :
121
Issue :
12
Pages :
2918-2934
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Available on ORBi :
since 09 January 2017

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