NSW Blue Carbon Generation from existing mangroves and saltmarsh

Generation is defined as the capacity for existing mangrove forests and saltmarshes to contribute to carbon additionality from living biomass, dead organic material, and soil organic carbon. Several studies indicate that carbon addition is greater in mangrove forests than saltmarshes (Chmura et al., 2003; Pendleton et al., 2012), and this is likely due to greater height and biomass of mangroves compared to herbaceous saltmarsh vegetation. In NSW where both ecosystems occur, mangroves forests typically occupy lower positions within the tidal frame than saltmarshes, and their distribution can be defined based on elevation and hydroperiod (Hughes et al., 2019). Additionally, preservation of soil organic carbon within the contemporary range of mangroves has been found to be greater within fine grained sediments of fluvial origin than sandy coastal barrier sediments.

Chmura, G.L., Anisfeld, S.C., Cahoon, D.R., and Lynch, J.C. (2003). Global carbon sequestration in tidal, saline wetland soils. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 17, 1111.

Pendleton, L., Donato, D.C., Murray, B.C., Crooks, S., Jenkins, W.A., Sifleet, S., Craft, C., Fourqurean, J.W., Kauffman, J.B., Marbà, N., Megonigal, P., Pidgeon, E., Herr, D., Gordon, D., and Baldera, A. (2012). Estimating Global “Blue Carbon” Emissions from Conversion and Degradation of Vegetated Coastal Ecosystems. PLoS ONE 7, e43542.