Blue carbon stock in Scottish saltmarsh soils

In this study, we provide an estimate of the quantity of organic carbon (OC) held within the surficial soils (top 10 cm and 15 cm) of Scotland’s extensive saltmarsh habitats. This work builds upon the Scottish Saltmarsh Survey (Haynes, 2016) by integrating the mapped extent of saltmarsh vegetation types with field-derived measurements of soil dry bulk density and OC obtained from a diverse range of saltmarsh soils across Scotland (Ruranska et al., 2020). This approach has enabled a new surficial OC stock estimation to be made for the soils within Scotland’s saltmarshes.Publisher PD

Blue carbon stock in Scottish saltmarsh soils

In this study, we provide an estimate of the quantity of organic carbon (OC) held within the surficial soils (top 10 cm and 15 cm) of Scotland’s extensive saltmarsh habitats. This work builds upon the Scottish Saltmarsh Survey (Haynes, 2016) by integrating the mapped extent of saltmarsh vegetation types with field-derived measurements of soil dry bulk density and OC obtained from a diverse range of saltmarsh soils across Scotland (Ruranska et al., 2020). This approach has enabled a new surficial OC stock estimation to be made for the soils within Scotland’s saltmarshes

Using citizen science to estimate surficial soil Blue Carbon stocks in Great British saltmarshes

A new saltmarsh soil dataset comprising of geochemical and physical property data from 752 soil samples collected through a sampling program supported by citizen scientists has been brought together with existing data to make the first national estimates of the surficial (top 10 cm) soil OC stock for Great British (GB) saltmarshes. To allow the inclusion of secondary data in the soil stock estimate a new bespoke organic matter to organic carbon conversion for GB saltmarsh soil was developed allowing organic matter data measured using loss-on-ignition to be convert to organic carbon content. The total GB surficial soil OC stock is 2.320 ± 0.470 Mt; English saltmarshes hold 1.601 ± 0.426 Mt OC, Scottish saltmarshes hold 0.368 ± 0.091 Mt OC, and Welsh saltmarshes hold 0.351 ± 0.082 Mt OC. The stocks were calculated within a Markov Chain Monte Carlo framework allowing robust uncertainty estimates to be derived for the first time. Spatial mapping tools are available to accompany these stock estimates at individual saltmarsh habitats throughout GB. This data will aid in the protection and management of saltmarshes and represents the first steps towards the inclusion of saltmarsh OC in the national inventory accounting of blue carbon ecosystems

Using citizen science to estimate surficial soil blue carbon stocks in Great British saltmarshes.

A new saltmarsh soil dataset comprising of geochemical and physical property data from 752 soil samples collected through a sampling program supported by citizen scientists has been brought together with existing data to make the first national estimates of the surficial (top 10 cm) soil OC stock for Great British (GB) saltmarshes. To allow the inclusion of secondary data in the soil stock estimate a new bespoke organic matter to organic carbon conversion for GB saltmarsh soil was developed allowing organic matter data measured using loss-on-ignition to be convert to organic carbon content. The total GB surficial soil OC stock is 2.320 ± 0.470 Mt; English saltmarshes hold 1.601 ± 0.426 Mt OC, Scottish saltmarshes hold 0.368 ± 0.091 Mt OC, and Welsh saltmarshes hold 0.351 ± 0.082 Mt OC. The stocks were calculated within a Markov Chain Monte Carlo framework allowing robust uncertainty estimates to be derived for the first time. Spatial mapping tools are available to accompany these stock estimates at individual saltmarsh habitats throughout GB. This data will aid in the protection and management of saltmarshes and represents the first steps towards the inclusion of saltmarsh OC in the national inventory accounting of blue carbon ecosystems

Organic carbon density of surficial soils across Scottish saltmarshes

Mapped organic carbon (OC) density of surficial soils across Scottish saltmarsh. The OC density (kg m-2) for the surficial soils (top 10 cm) is mapped across Scottish saltmarshes identified in the Scottish Saltmarsh Survey (Haynes, 2016). Additionally, OC densities have been extrapolated for saltmarsh soils to a depth of 15cm for the purposes of comparison to United Kingdom terrestrial soil carbon inventories. The spatial maps are built upon surficial (top 10 cm) soil bulk density and carbon data produced by the NERC C-Side project (Ruranska et al., 2020) combined with existing saltmarsh vegetation maps (Haynes, 2016)

Carbon storage in UK intertidal environments

We report on progress to assess carbon stocks in UK saltmarsh habitats, highlighting best practice in achieving national-scale assessments, including advances in field, laboratory and data methods. New understanding of coring disturbance highlights sediment compaction and its influence on carbon stock assessment; improvements in remote sensing methods are outlined and approaches to upscaling for carbon stock assessment are described. Here, we introduce the first UK-specific saltmarsh conversion for loss-on-ignition estimates of soil organic matter to soil organic carbon. The underlying drivers that determine the spatial distribution, magnitude and future vulnerability of these important natural capital assets are assessed, highlighting the significance of long-term sea-level drivers in shaping UK coastal environments and carbon stocks. The potential for management interventions that safeguard these long-term carbon stores through the protection, restoration and creation of saltmarsh habitats are also assessed. We highlight the emergent national policy opportunities for the inclusion of saltmarsh habitats in the UK greenhouse gas inventory, providing an important first step necessary to account for, protect and restore these long-term carbon stores, realising their potential for climate change mitigation

Dry bulk density, loss on ignition and organic carbon content of surficial soils from English and Welsh salt marshes 2019

The data provide a quantitative measure of the dry bulk density, soil texture, organic matter content (LOI) and organic carbon present within surface soils (up to a depth of 10 cm). A total of 212 samples from 49 sites across England and Wales were collected using modified syringe samplers as part of the citizen scientist programme CarbonQuest, part of Carbon Storage in Intertidal Environments (C-SIDE) project. Sites were chosen to represent contrasting habitats across England and Wales, in particular sediment types, vegetation and sea level history. The samples were processed for bulk density, soil texture, organic matter content using the Loss on Ignition (LOI) method and the organic carbon was quantified through elemental analysis. The data were collected to help create a detailed picture of saltmarsh carbon storage in surficial soils across England and Wales

Carbon storage in UK intertidal environments

We report on the progress to assess the carbon stocks in UK saltmarsh habitats, highlighting best practice in achieving national-scale assessments, including advances in field, laboratory and data methods. New understanding of coring disturbance highlights sediment compaction and its influence on carbon stock assessment; improvements in remote sensing methods are outlined and approaches to upscaling for carbon stock assessment described. Here, we introduce the first UK-specific saltmarsh conversion for loss-on-ignition (LOI) estimates of soil organic matter (OM) to soil organic carbon (OC). The underlying drivers that determine the spatial distribution, magnitude and future vulnerability of these important natural capital assets are assessed, highlighting the significance of long-term sea-level drivers in shaping UK coastal environments and carbon stocks. The potential for management interventions that safeguard these long-term carbon stores through the protection, restoration and creation of saltmarsh habitats, are also assessed. We highlight the emergent national policy opportunities for the inclusion of saltmarsh habitats in the UK greenhouse gas inventory, providing an important first step necessary to account for, protect, and restore these long-term carbon stores, realising their potential for climate change mitigation

Dry bulk density, loss on ignition and organic carbon content of surficial soils from Scottish salt marshes, 2018-2019

The dataset comprises of biogeochemical measurements of saltmarsh soil collected from 46 saltmarshes across Scotland. Sites were chosen to represent contrasting habitats across Scotland, in particular sediment types, vegetation and sea level history. The data provide a quantitative measure of the dry bulk density, soil texture, organic matter content (LOI) and organic carbon present within surface soils (up to a depth of 10 cm). A total of 471 samples were collected, 157 of the samples were collected using modified syringe samplers as part of the citizen scientist programme CarbonQuest (Part of C-SIDE) these were supplemented by a further 109 samples from the C-SIDE team. The remaining 205 samples were collected using a soil corer (Gouge) as part of the C-SIDE sampling programme. The samples were processed for bulk density, soil texture, organic matter content using the Loss on Ignition (LOI) method and the organic carbon was quantified through elemental analysis. The data were collected to help create a detailed picture of saltmarsh carbon storage across Scotland. The work was carried out under the NERC programme - Carbon Storage in Intertidal Environment (C-SIDE), NERC grant reference NE/R010846/

Spatial mapping of surficial soil organic carbon storage and stocks across Great British saltmarshes

The geospatial dataset maps organic carbon (OC) storage (kg OC m-2) and OC stocks (tonnes OC) of surficial soils across 438 Great British saltmarshes. The OC density for the surficial soils (top 10 cm) is mapped across 451.65 km2 of saltmarshes, identified from current saltmarsh maps of Great Britain’s three constituent countries; Scotland, England and Wales The spatial maps are built upon surficial (top 10 cm) soil bulk density and carbon data produced by the NERC C-Side project and Marine Scotland data combined with existing saltmarsh vegetation maps. The work was carried out under the NERC programme - Carbon Storage in Intertidal Environment (C-SIDE), NERC grant reference NE/R010846/1