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Carbon storage in US wetlands

Author

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  • A. M. Nahlik

    (Kenyon College
    Present address: US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, USA)

  • M. S. Fennessy

    (Kenyon College)

Abstract

Wetland soils contain some of the highest stores of soil carbon in the biosphere. However, there is little understanding of the quantity and distribution of carbon stored in our remaining wetlands or of the potential effects of human disturbance on these stocks. Here we use field data from the 2011 National Wetland Condition Assessment to provide unbiased estimates of soil carbon stocks for wetlands at regional and national scales. We find that wetlands in the conterminous United States store a total of 11.52 PgC, much of which is within soils deeper than 30 cm. Freshwater inland wetlands, in part due to their substantial areal extent, hold nearly ten-fold more carbon than tidal saltwater sites—indicating their importance in regional carbon storage. Our data suggest a possible relationship between carbon stocks and anthropogenic disturbance. These data highlight the need to protect wetlands to mitigate the risk of avoidable contributions to climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • A. M. Nahlik & M. S. Fennessy, 2016. "Carbon storage in US wetlands," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms13835
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13835
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    Cited by:

    1. John Clunes & Susana Valle & Jose Dörner & Marco Campos & Jorge Medina & Sarah Zuern & Lorena Lagos, 2022. "Changes in Soil Quality of an Urban Wetland as a Result of Anthropogenic Disturbance," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Anthony J. Stewart & Meghan Halabisky & Chad Babcock & David E. Butman & David V. D’Amore & L. Monika Moskal, 2024. "Revealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soils," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Donghui Xu & Gautam Bisht & Zeli Tan & Eva Sinha & Alan V. Vittorio & Tian Zhou & Valeriy Y. Ivanov & L. Ruby Leung, 2024. "Climate change will reduce North American inland wetland areas and disrupt their seasonal regimes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    4. repec:caa:jnlpse:v:preprint:id:340-2023-pse is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Warnell, Katherine J.D. & Russell, Marc & Rhodes, Charles & Bagstad, Kenneth J. & Olander, Lydia P. & Nowak, David J. & Poudel, Rajendra & Glynn, Pierre D. & Hass, Julie L. & Hirabayashi, Satoshi & In, 2020. "Testing ecosystem accounting in the United States: A case study for the Southeast," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    6. Xia, Chuyu & Chen, Bin, 2020. "Urban land-carbon nexus based on ecological network analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    7. Graversgaard, Morten & Jacobsen, Brian H. & Hoffmann, Carl Christian & Dalgaard, Tommy & Odgaard, Mette Vestergaard & Kjaergaard, Charlotte & Powell, Neil & Strand, John A. & Feuerbach, Peter & Tonder, 2021. "Policies for wetlands implementation in Denmark and Sweden – historical lessons and emerging issues," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    8. Sanku Dattamudi & Saoli Chanda & Leonard J. Scinto, 2021. "Microbial Respiration and Enzyme Activity Downstream from a Phosphorus Source in the Everglades, Florida, USA," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-8, July.
    9. Kristof Dorau & Tim Mansfeldt, 2023. "Vulnerability of diked marsh ecosystems under climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(3), pages 1-16, March.
    10. Xue Zhang & Xiaodong Yu & Yunxiao Cao & Jiani Yue & Shan Wang & Yunxia Liu, 2024. "The effects of diverse microbial community structures, driven by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation, on carbon release from a paddy field," Plant, Soil and Environment, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 70(1), pages 48-59.
    11. Vallecillo, Sara & La Notte, Alessandra & Ferrini, Silvia & Maes, Joachim, 2019. "How ecosystem services are changing: an accounting application at the EU level," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    12. Tomscha, Stephanie & Jackson, Bethanna & Benavidez, Rubianca & de Róiste, Mairéad & Hartley, Stephen & Deslippe, Julie, 2023. "A multiscale perspective on how much wetland restoration is needed to achieve targets for ecosystem services," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    13. Han, Albert Tonghoon & Daniels, Thomas L. & Kim, Chaeri, 2022. "Managing urban growth in the wake of climate change: Revisiting greenbelt policy in the US," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).

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