Abstract
Global-scale variation in mangrove ecosystem properties has been explained using a conceptual framework linking geomorphological processes to distinct coastal environmental settings (CES) for nearly 50 years. However, these assumptions have not been empirically tested at the global scale. Here, we show that CES account for global variability in mangrove soil C:N:P stoichiometry and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Using this ecogeomorphology framework, we developed a global model that captures variation in mangrove SOC stocks compatible with distinct CES. We show that mangrove SOC stocks have been underestimated by up to 50% (a difference of roughly 200 Mg ha−1) in carbonate settings and overestimated by up to 86% (around 400 Mg ha−1) in deltaic coastlines. Moreover, we provide information for 57 nations that currently lack SOC data, enabling these and other countries to develop or evaluate their blue carbon inventories.
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Acknowledgements
The Brazilian foundations CAPES and CNPq, Louisiana Sea Grant College and NSF Coastal SEES programme (EAR-1427389) funded this work. The CAPES/CNPq Science without Borders and Post-doctoral Senior programmes provided international fellowships for A.S.R. (BEX1930/13-3), P.R.P. (18379/12-5) and A.L.F (209666/13-7). We are thankful to the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research programme (permit EVER-2013-SCI-0058), Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (especially K. Cunniff) and J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge (permit FWS 14042) for facilitating the collection of samples. We also thank S. L. Jardine for kindly providing a high-resolution mangrove soil carbon density grid to serve as a reference in our modelling analyses. We are extremely indebted to T. Blanchard (Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, LSU) and P. Leandro (CATIE) for support with laboratory analyses, as well as to W. Weis and R. Menghini for assistance during fieldwork and A. Christensen and A. McCall for assistance with manipulation of the raster files.
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A.S.R. conceived the study, performed the statistical analyses and wrote the manuscript draft. P.R. and A.S.R. performed the modelling analyses. R.R.T., P.R.P., E.C.-M. and P.R. contributed to development of the work in general and helped to write the final version of the paper. M.C.-J. collected and analysed soil samples from El Salvador, Panama and some sites in Costa Rica. P.R.P., E.C.-M., M.M.-V., P.A.H., J.C.S. and A.L.F. contributed to field sampling and laboratory analyses.
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Supplementary Note 1, Supplementary Figures 1–6, Supplementary Tables 2–5, Supplementary References
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Contains the global mangrove soil organic carbon density dataset used in the modelling analysis. File format: Excel, file size: 35KB
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Rovai, A.S., Twilley, R.R., Castañeda-Moya, E. et al. Global controls on carbon storage in mangrove soils. Nature Clim Change 8, 534–538 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0162-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0162-5
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