Pan-European Assessment of Saltmarsh Soil Organic Matter Reactivity

Saltmarshes trap and store organic matter from different sources with different soil turnover times. Constraining drivers of variability in soil organic matter turnover are crucial for quantifying the potential climate mitigation achieved through targeted management interventions on saltmarsh habitats (e.g., restoration). Better constraining saltmarsh soil organic matter turnover on a continental scale would improve the scientific evidence base for the integration of these important carbon stores into policy frameworks and guide priority actions and decision making.

We undertook thermogravimetric analysis of newly collected and archived samples to measure the thermal reactivity of saltmarsh soil organic matter across Europe. Here, we present the first estimate of saltmarsh soil organic matter reactivity on a pan-European scale. We present preliminary evidence to suggest that saltmarsh soils which have larger stores of thermally labile organic matter generate higher greenhouse gas fluxes under exposure to aerobic conditions. We propose that measuring the thermal lability of soil organic matter could be useful when targeting management actions on saltmarsh habitats to achieve emissions reductions.

If you would be interested in contributing samples (these can be cold-stored or dried archival material, or potentially new collections) and being part of a collaborative effort to understand the reactivity of the organic matter stored in pan-European saltmarshes, please visit this poster.