EGU23-12459
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-12459
EGU General Assembly 2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Sedimentation and carbon accumulation rates in UK saltmarshes

Ed Garrett1, Craig Smeaton2, W. Roland Gehrels1, Natasha Barlow3, Will Blake4, Martha B. Koot5, Lucy Miller2, Glenn Havelock6, Lucy McMahon1, Cai Ladd7, and William Austin2
Ed Garrett et al.
  • 1Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, United Kingdom (ed.garrett@york.ac.uk)
  • 2School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, United Kingdom
  • 3School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
  • 4School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom
  • 5School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom
  • 6Department of Geography, Geology and the Environment, Kingston University, United Kingdom
  • 7School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom

Saltmarshes play a key role in sequestering and storing carbon, as well as providing a wide range of other ecosystem services. Assessments of both total carbon stocks and rates of carbon accumulation are vital for quantifying saltmarsh contributions to climate-change mitigation and for guiding efforts to protect and restore coastal wetlands. Current assessments of the rates at which UK saltmarshes accumulate carbon are based on a small and spatially limited dataset. To address this knowledge gap, we estimate sedimentation rates and assess organic carbon density from 22 saltmarshes distributed around the UK. Bayesian modelling quantifies the relationship between depth and age from 210Pb and 137Cs activity data. We combine these sedimentation rates with centimetre-resolution organic carbon density measurements to quantify carbon accumulation rates through time. By upscaling these estimates to the total UK saltmarsh area and fully quantifying uncertainties, we conclude that UK saltmarsh carbon burial rates are lower than previously thought.

How to cite: Garrett, E., Smeaton, C., Gehrels, W. R., Barlow, N., Blake, W., Koot, M. B., Miller, L., Havelock, G., McMahon, L., Ladd, C., and Austin, W.: Sedimentation and carbon accumulation rates in UK saltmarshes, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-12459, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-12459, 2023.