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Ecosystem Carbon Stocks of Micronesian Mangrove Forests

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Abstract

Among the least studied ecosystem services of mangroves is their value as global carbon (C) stocks. This is significant as mangroves are subject to rapid rates of deforestation and therefore could be significant sources of atmospheric emissions. Mangroves could be key ecosystems in strategies addressing the mitigation of climate change though reduced deforestation. We quantified ecosystem C stocks at the seaward, interior, and upland edges of mangroves in the Republic of Palau and Yap, Federated States of Micronesia. The relatively high aboveground biomass coupled with carbon-rich soils resulted in the presence of large ecosystem carbon stocks compared to other tropical forests. Ecosystem C storage at the Palau site ranged from 479 Mg/ha in the seaward zone to 1,068 Mg/ha in the landward zone; in the Yap site C storage ranged from 853 to 1,385 Mg/ha along this gradient. Soils contained ~70% of the ecosystem C stocks. The elevation range of mangroves was <146 cm, suggesting that projected sea-level rise can influence a large portion of existing stands. Declines in ecosystem carbon stocks will be pronounced if mangroves are replaced by communities adapted to greater inundation such as seagrass communities, where C pools were ≤7% of that of mangroves (48 Mg C/ha).

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Acknowledgments

Margie Falanruw, Francis Ruegorong, Larry Mamit, and Cimarron Kauffman provided valuable assistance in the field and with logistics. We are grateful to the Yap Division of Agriculture, the Palau Agriculture and Forest Agency, and the people of Yap and Palau for their cooperation and assistance in allowing us to work in their mangroves. We thank the Patrick Colin and the Coral Reef Research Foundation for generously allowing us the use of their laboratory in Palau. The study was funded by the USDA Forest Service, PSW Research Station and the USDA Forest Service International Programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    J. Boone Kauffman

  2. Watershed Professionals Network (WPN), Philomath, OR, 97370, USA

    Chris Heider

  3. USDA Forest Service, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA

    Thomas G. Cole

  4. USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA

    Kathleen A. Dwire

  5. Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Daniel C. Donato

Authors
  1. J. Boone Kauffman
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  2. Chris Heider
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  3. Thomas G. Cole
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  4. Kathleen A. Dwire
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  5. Daniel C. Donato
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Boone Kauffman.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 4 Equations to determine biomass of mangrove forests
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Kauffman, J.B., Heider, C., Cole, T.G. et al. Ecosystem Carbon Stocks of Micronesian Mangrove Forests. Wetlands 31, 343–352 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-011-0148-9

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