Seasonal carbon fluxes from vegetation and soil in a Mediterranean non-tidal salt marsh
<p>Salt marshes are important ecosystems for carbon sequestration. However, while studies of atmospheric carbon exchange fluxes have broadly been performed in tidal salt marshes, they are scarce in non-tidal salt marshes. In this study we measured, throughout 1 year, instantaneous net carbon d...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/22/289/2025/bg-22-289-2025.pdf |
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| Summary: | <p>Salt marshes are important ecosystems for carbon sequestration. However, while studies of atmospheric carbon exchange fluxes have broadly been performed in tidal salt marshes, they are scarce in non-tidal salt marshes. In this study we measured, throughout 1 year, instantaneous net carbon dioxide (<span class="inline-formula">CO<sub>2</sub></span>) exchange rates from four halophytes which are dominant species of their corresponding habitat (<i>Sarcocornia fruticosa</i> in a halophilous scrub, <i>Halimione portulacoides</i> and <i>Elytrigia atherica</i> in a salt meadow, and <i>Salicornia patula</i> in a glasswort sward) of a Mediterranean non-tidal salt marsh. Soil <span class="inline-formula">CO<sub>2</sub></span> and methane (<span class="inline-formula">CH<sub>4</sub></span>) fluxes from these habitats were also measured. <i>E. atherica</i>, a perennial herbaceous species, showed the highest photosynthetic rates during the entire year, but <i>S. patula</i>, an annual succulent herb, also had remarkable photosynthetic rates in summer. Interestingly, the woody fraction of the two perennial shrubs, <i>S. fruticosa</i> and <i>H. portulacoides</i>, showed <span class="inline-formula">CO<sub>2</sub></span> uptake during most of the daily measurements. Regarding the studied habitats, the halophilous scrub and the salt meadow showed higher soil <span class="inline-formula">CO<sub>2</sub></span> emissions than the glasswort sward, and the overall emissions were higher than those reported for tidal salt marshes. Both soil absorption and emission of <span class="inline-formula">CH<sub>4</sub></span> were detected. In particular, <span class="inline-formula">CH<sub>4</sub></span> emissions were remarkably high, similar to those found in low-salinity marshes and, in general, higher than those reported for salt marshes with a high water table salinity. Soil mineralization quotients of the halophilous scrub and the salt meadow were lower than those measured at the glasswort sward, suggesting a higher soil carbon sequestration potential of the first two habitats.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |