Blue Carbon Stocks Along the Pacific Coast of North America Are Mainly Driven by Local Rather Than Regional Factors

Coastal wetlands, including seagrass meadows, emergent marshes, mangroves, and temperate tidal swamps, can efficiently sequester and store large quantities of sediment organic carbon (SOC). However, SOC stocks may vary by ecosystem type and along environmental or climate gradients at different scales. Quantifying such variability is needed to improve blue carbon accounting, conservation effectiveness, and restoration planning. We analyzed SOC stocks in 1,284 sediment cores along>6,500 km of the Pacific coast of North America that included large environmental gradients and multiple ecosystem types. Tidal wetlands with woody vegetation (mangroves and swamps) had the highest mean stocks to 1 m depth (357 and 355 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup>, respectively), 45% higher than marshes (245 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup>), and more than 500% higher than seagrass (68 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup>). Unvegetated tideflats, though not often considered a blue carbon ecosystem, had noteworthy stocks (148 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup>). Stocks increased with tidal elevation and with fine (<63 μm) sediment content in several ecosystems. Stocks also varied by dominant plant species within individual ecosystem types. At larger scales, marsh stocks were lowest in the Sonoran Desert region of Mexico, and swamp stocks differed among climate zones; otherwise stocks showed little correlation with ecoregion or latitude. More variability in SOC occurred among ecosystem types, and at smaller spatial scales (such as individual estuaries), than across regional climate gradients. These patterns can inform coastal conservation and restoration priorities across scales where preserving stored carbon and enhancing sequestration helps avert greenhouse gas emissions and maintains other vital ecosystem services.

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Publication Details

Journal
Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Published
2025-03-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gb008239
Citations
12
Primary Topic
Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
20.60

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article

Blue Carbon Stocks Along the Pacific Coast of North America Are Mainly Driven by Local Rather Than Regional Factors

Amanda M. Nahlik, James R. Holmquist, Mira Lutz, Paula Ezcurra et al.
12 citations
Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
20.60
article

Blue Carbon Stocks Along the Pacific Coast of North America Are Mainly Driven by Local Rather Than Regional Factors

Amanda M. Nahlik, James R. Holmquist, Mira Lutz, Paula Ezcurra, Marlow G. Pellatt, Stephen Chastain, Aurora M. Ricart, Andrew B. Gray, Richard F. Ambrose, Johannes R. Krause, Ana Carolina Ruíz-Fernández, Lindsey Sheehan, Elizabeth Burke Watson, Lisa Schile-Beers, María Fernanda Adame, Lisamarie Windham‐Myers, Joan-Albert Sánchez-Cabeza, Trevor Williams, Laura S. Brophy, Karen M. Thorne, Matthew T. Costa, Heida L. Diefenderfer, Christopher N. Janousek, C. R. M. Prentice, Kevin J. Buffington, Craig Cornu, Cheryl Brown, Amy B. Borde, Katrina L. Poppe, Elizabeth Fard, Scott D. Bridgham, Erin K. Peck, Alejandro Hinojosa‐Corona, Scott F. Jones, Jonathan Ochoa‐Gómez, Karen Elizabeth Kohfeld, John Rybczyk, Judith Z. Drexler, Michelle Goman, Stephen Crooks, Tristan J. Douglas, Lauren N. Brown, Melissa Ward, Frederick T. Short, Margot Hessing‐Lewis
article en
12 citations

Abstract

Coastal wetlands, including seagrass meadows, emergent marshes, mangroves, and temperate tidal swamps, can efficiently sequester and store large quantities of sediment organic carbon (SOC). However, SOC stocks may vary by ecosystem type and along environmental or climate gradients at different scales. Quantifying such variability is needed to improve blue carbon accounting, conservation effectiveness, and restoration planning. We analyzed SOC stocks in 1,284 sediment cores along>6,500 km of the Pacific coast of North America that included large environmental gradients and multiple ecosystem types. Tidal wetlands with woody vegetation (mangroves and swamps) had the highest mean stocks to 1 m depth (357 and 355 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup>, respectively), 45% higher than marshes (245 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup>), and more than 500% higher than seagrass (68 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup>). Unvegetated tideflats, though not often considered a blue carbon ecosystem, had noteworthy stocks (148 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup>). Stocks increased with tidal elevation and with fine (<63 μm) sediment content in several ecosystems. Stocks also varied by dominant plant species within individual ecosystem types. At larger scales, marsh stocks were lowest in the Sonoran Desert region of Mexico, and swamp stocks differed among climate zones; otherwise stocks showed little correlation with ecoregion or latitude. More variability in SOC occurred among ecosystem types, and at smaller spatial scales (such as individual estuaries), than across regional climate gradients. These patterns can inform coastal conservation and restoration priorities across scales where preserving stored carbon and enhancing sequestration helps avert greenhouse gas emissions and maintains other vital ecosystem services.

Global Biogeochemical CyclesVol. 39(3)
University of California, Riverside (US), Griffith University (AU), University of North Florida (US), Parks Canada (CA), United States Geological Survey (US), Environmental Protection Agency (US), Oregon State University (US), University of British Columbia (CA), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (US), Bowling Green State University (US), Sonoma State University (US), University of New Hampshire (US), University of California, Los Angeles (US), University of Rhode Island (US), Simon Fraser University (CA), University of Oregon (US), Florida International University (US), University of Washington (US), San Diego State University (US), Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (US), University of California San Diego (US), Tula Foundation (CA), Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur (MX), Institut Català de Ciències del Clima (ES), Institute for Culture and Ecology (US), Southall Environmental Associates (United States) (US), Institut de Ciències del Mar (ES), Silvestrum Climate Associates (US), California Water Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center, Hakai Institute, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (US), Western Washington University (US), Stony Brook University (US), Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (MX), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX)
Pew Charitable Trusts
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
20.60
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