Going Local: How Coastal Environmental Settings Can Help Improve Global Mangrove Carbon Storage and Flux Estimates

The magnitude and variability of mangrove carbon storage are uncertain and still being discussed. In a recent article, Breithaupt and Steinmuller (2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL100177) completed a literature review and compared mangrove organic carbon burial rates between different coastal environmental settings (CES) that integrate sedimentary supply (terrigenous vs. carbonate) and hydrogeomorphic settings (delta, estuary, lagoon, open coast). They found greater burial rates in terrigenous delta and estuaries while lower rates were reported in lagoons and carbonate settings. Surprisingly, these CES relationships do not strictly match previous mangrove soil carbon stock estimates but were consistent with biomass stocks. The CES approach used by Breithaupt and Steinmuller should be used for other mangrove carbon stocks and fluxes estimates to refine our understanding of mangrove carbon cycling and storage.