Terrestrial Carbon Storage Estimation in Guangdong Province (2000–2021)

(1) Terrestrial ecosystems are critical carbon sinks, and the accurate assessment of their carbon storage is vital for understanding global carbon cycles and formulating climate change mitigation strategies. (2) This study integrated vegetation indices, meteorological factors, land use data, soil/vegetation types, field sampling, and a convolutional neural network (CNN) model to estimate the carbon storage of terrestrial ecosystems in Guangdong Province. (3) Total carbon storage increased by 0.11 Pg from 2000 to 2021, with vegetation carbon gains (+0.19 Pg) offsetting soil carbon losses (−0.08 Pg), with the latter primarily being driven by reduced soil carbon in forest ecosystems. (4) Northern and eastern Guangdong exhibit high potential for enhancing carbon storage capacity, which is crucial for achieving regional carbon peaking and neutrality targets.