Changes of Soil Organic Carbon Stabilization and Stock in Yancheng Huang-Bohai Sea Migratory Bird Habitat Coastal Marsh Wetland with a Long-term Follow-up Study

Abstract

In the important coastal marsh wetland ecosystem, the soil organic carbon content is subject to multiple environmental factors in Yancheng. The research objectives were to explore the effects of sampling time, soil depth, and vegetation types on soil organic carbon content by screening the core data of related literature and analyzing with the descriptive statistics, Kendall’s consistency test, Spearman's Rank correlation, and principal component analysis (PCA). The analysis showed that the effects of the factors on soil organic carbon content were significantly different. The plant growth was vigorous, resulting in relatively high soil organic carbon content (80 to 50 t/ha·yr), especially in the spring and summer seasons. In addition, the organic carbon content of the topsoil (0 to 20 cm) was significantly higher than that of the soil at depths below 20 cm, showing higher levels (20 to 50 t/ha·yr). Among different vegetation types, the carbon storage capacity of Spartina alterniflora showed superior performance compared to other vegetation (10 to 25 t/ha·yr). The results provide a scientific basis for the assessment and protection of the carbon storage function of wetlands, intending to promote the sustainable management of wetland ecosystems.