Spatiotemporal variations in the organic carbon accumulation rate in mangrove sediments from the Yingluo Bay, China, since 1900

Mangroves can not only provide multiple ecosystem service functions, but are also efficient carbon producers, capturers, and sinks. The estimation of the organic carbon accumulation rate (OCAR) in mangrove sediments is fundamental for elucidating the role of mangroves in the global carbon budget. In particular, understanding the past changes in the OCAR in mangrove sediments is vital for predicting the future role of mangroves in the rapidly changing environment. In this study, three dated sediment cores from interior and fringe of mangroves in the Yingluo Bay, China, were used to reconstruct the spatiotemporal variations of the calculated OCAR since 1900 in this area. The increasing OCAR in the mangrove interior was attributed to mangrove flourishment induced by climate change characterized by the rising temperature. However, in the mangrove fringe, the strengthening hydrodynamic conditions under the sea level rise were responsible for the decreasing OCAR, particularly after the 1940s. Furthermore, the duration of inundation by seawater was the primary factors controlling the spatial variability of the OCAR from the mangrove fringe to interior, while the strengthened hydrodynamic conditions after the 1940s broke this original pattern.