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Factors influencing the organic carbon pools in tidal marsh soils of the Elbe estuary (Germany)

  • Soils, Sec 1 • Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Nutrient Cycling • Research Article
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Abstract

Purpose

Soils of tidal marshes play an important role in regional carbon (C) cycles as they are able to store considerable amounts of organic carbon (OC). However, the C dynamics of marsh soils of the Elbe estuary have not been investigated so far. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the sources and distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and the factors influencing the SOC pools of tidal marshes of the study region.

Materials and methods

In this study, SOC pools were determined in different salinity zones and elevation classes of the estuarine marshes. The amount of initial allochthonous OC was derived from the OC content in fresh sediments. The difference to the recent OC content in the soils was interpreted as autochthonous accumulation or mineralization by microorganisms.

Results and discussion

Young, low marshes of the study sites seem to be predominantly influenced by allochthonous OC deposition whereas the older, high marshes show autochthonous OC accumulation in the topsoils (0–30 cm) and mineralization in the subsoils (30–70 cm). SOC pools of the whole profile depth (0–100 cm) did not significantly differ between elevation classes, but decreased significantly with increasing salinity from 28.3 kg m−2 in the most upstream site of the oligohaline zone to 9.7 kg m−2 in the most downstream site of the polyhaline zone. Even though the areal extent of the investigated salinity zones was similar, the SOC mass within 100 cm soil depth decreased from 0.62 Tg (1 Tg = 1012 g) in the oligohaline zone to 0.18 Tg in the polyhaline zone.

Conclusions

Elevation was found to be one factor influencing the SOC pools of tidal marshes. However, salinity seems to be an even stronger influencing factor reducing the above-ground biomass and, accordingly, the autochthonous OC input as well as the allochthonous input by enhanced mineralization of OC along the course of the estuary. An upstream shift of the salinity zones by sea level rise could, therefore, lead to a reduction of the SOC storage of the estuarine marshes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Schleswig-Holstein’s Government-Owned Company for Coastal Protection, National Parks and Ocean Protection, and the nature protection authorities of the administrative districts Pinneberg and Stade for research permissions. Further thanks are due to Fabian Beermann, Maren Reese, Angela Meier, Birgit Schwinge, Alena Lucht, and to all other students and colleagues involved in field and laboratory work. This study was financially supported by the Estuary and Wetland Research Graduate School Hamburg (ESTRADE) as member of the State Excellence Initiative (LEXI) funded by the Hamburg Science and Research Foundation. Christian Butzeck appreciates funding by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research within the research project KLIMZUG-NORD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Soil Science, CEN, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Kerstin Hansen, Annette Eschenbach, Alexander Gröngröft & Eva-Maria Pfeiffer

  2. Applied Plant Ecology, Universität Hamburg, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609, Hamburg, Germany

    Christian Butzeck & Kai Jensen

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  1. Kerstin Hansen
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  2. Christian Butzeck
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Correspondence to Kerstin Hansen.

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Hansen, K., Butzeck, C., Eschenbach, A. et al. Factors influencing the organic carbon pools in tidal marsh soils of the Elbe estuary (Germany). J Soils Sediments 17, 47–60 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-016-1500-8

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