Losses and destabilization of soil organic carbon stocks in coastal wetlands converted into aquaculture ponds

Abstract

Coastal‐wetlands play a crucial role as carbon (C) reservoirs on Earth due to their C pool composition and functional sink, making them significant for mitigating global climate change. However, due to the development and utilization of wetland resources, many wetlands have been transformed into other land‐use types. The current study focuses on the alterations in soil organic‐C (SOC) in coastal‐wetlands following reclamation into aquaculture ponds. We conducted sampling at 11 different coastal‐wetlands along the tropical to temperate regions of the China coast. Each site included two community types, one with solely native species ( Suaeda salsa , Phragmites australis and Mangroves) and the other with an adjacent reclaimed aquaculture pond. Across these 11 locations we compared SOC stock, active OC fractions, and soil physicochemical properties between coastal wetlands and aquaculture ponds. We observed that different soil uses, sampling sites, and their interaction had significant effects on SOC and its stock ( p p p

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