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The role of reactive iron in long-term carbon sequestration in mangrove sediments

  • Sediments, Sec 4 • Sediment-Ecology Interactions • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Despite occupying only 0.5% of the global coastal ocean, mangroves play a disproportionately large role in the capture and retention of atmospheric carbon dioxide as organic carbon (OC) in its sediments. However, the capacity of mangrove sediments to store high amounts of OC has never been explained mechanistically. This study elucidates the role of reactive iron (FeR) in long-term carbon sequestration in mangrove sediments.

Materials and methods

Sediment samples of up to 1 m in depth were collected from six selected mangrove areas across the Philippines. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). A citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite reduction procedure was employed to extract FeR from the sediments. The OC concentration and δ13C signatures before and after FeR extraction were determined using a dichromate oxidation technique and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), respectively.

Results and discussion

XRD diffractograms showed that the mangrove sediment samples varied in terms of mineralogical characteristics, which reflected their different parent materials. It was found that the OC concentration increased exponentially (OC = 8.38e0.37FeR; R2 = 0.88; p < 0.0001) with increasing FeR concentration. δ13C signatures of FeR-associated OC revealed that FeR preferentially preserved terrestrial over marine-derived organic matter. Finally, FeR was estimated to coprecipitate with up to 5.44 × 1012 g OC in mangrove sediments per year.

Conclusions

The findings of this study suggest that FeR is responsible for the preservation of OC, thus making mangrove sediments a “giant rusty sponge” for carbon. This mechanistic understanding of the long-term carbon storage in mangrove sediments could help draft better strategies for blue carbon initiatives that include the mangrove ecosystems.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Department of Science and Technology Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program—National Science Consortium (DOST ASTHRDP-NSC); the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute Graduate Student Research Grant Program (PNRI GSRGP), with funding from the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technologies (PCIEERD); and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) of the National Science Foundation (NSF; Project 3-191). The University Research Council of Ateneo de Manila University has granted a research faculty fellowship to Ian A. Navarrete during the preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, School of Science and Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, 1108, Quezon City, Philippines

    Gerald P. Dicen, Ian A. Navarrete, Severino G. Salmo III & Maria Carmela A. Garcia

  2. Agriculture Research Section, Atomic Research Division, Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines

    Gerald P. Dicen & Roland V. Rallos

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  1. Gerald P. Dicen
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  2. Ian A. Navarrete
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  3. Roland V. Rallos
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  4. Severino G. Salmo III
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  5. Maria Carmela A. Garcia
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Correspondence to Ian A. Navarrete.

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Responsible editor: Haihan Zhang

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Table S1

Total elemental composition of mangrove sediments (XLSX 13 kb)

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Dicen, G.P., Navarrete, I.A., Rallos, R.V. et al. The role of reactive iron in long-term carbon sequestration in mangrove sediments. J Soils Sediments 19, 501–510 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-018-2051-y

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