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Carbon storage and greenhouse gas fluxes in the San Juan Bay Estuary: Current trends and likely future states
Citation:
Martin, R., C. Wigand, A. Oczkowski, Alana Hanson, E. Santos, AND E. Huertas. Carbon storage and greenhouse gas fluxes in the San Juan Bay Estuary: Current trends and likely future states. Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS), San Juan, PUERTO RICO, June 04 - 08, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
This abstract is for an invited symposium presentation planned for this years upcoming Society of Wetland Scientists meeting. The symposium in which this work will be presented is entitled, "Novel Mangrove Ecosystems".
Description:
Mangrove systems are known carbon (C) and greenhouse gas (GHG) sinks, but this function may be affected by global change drivers that include (but are not limited to) eutrophication, climate change, species composition shifts, and hydrological changes. In Puerto Rico’s San Juan Bay Estuary, mangrove wetlands are characterized by anthropogenic impacts, particularly tidal restriction due to infilling of the Martin Pena Canal and eutrophication. The objective of our research is to measure carbon sequestration and carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes in the San Juan Bay Estuary to understand the sustainability and role in global climate of this urban mangrove ecosystem. Cores for C sequestration measurements were collected and GHG fluxes were measured during rainy and dry seasons at 5 sites along a gradient of development and nitrogen loading in the San Juan Bay Estuary. At each site, paired GHG flux measurements were performed for mangrove wetland soil and estuarine water using static and floating chambers. Our results suggest a positive relationship between urban development and CH4 and N2O emissions, and demonstrate that in this system, estuarine waters are a major methane source. In addition to providing characterization of GHG fluxes in an urban subtropical estuary, these data provide a baseline against which future states of the estuary (after planned hydrological restoration has been implemented) may be compared.