Wetland ecosystems can serve as powerful carbon sinks and play a key role in mitigating climate change. But wetlands can also be a source of carbon. Hydrological carbon export, which occurs when the carbon passes from wetlands into connected oceanic ecosystems, remains understudied, limiting the understanding of wetland carbon cycling. This project refined current models of carbon sequestration rates in tidal wetlands by incorporating new data on the export of dissolved inorganic carbon.
One year of continuous high-frequency atmospheric and hydrologic data was collected from Eden Landing Ecological Reserve between March 3, 2021, and March 9, 2022, with gaps in the dataset due to sensor failure filled using a machine-learning algorithm. Further data was collected through bottle sampling. Preliminary data analysis shows a significant export of dissolved inorganic carbon during the growing season. Additionally, a net gain of dissolved inorganic carbon was noted during the winter months, though the source remains unidentified. These results, by refining understandings of carbon sequestration in wetlands, will help shed light on the potential benefits and tradeoffs of restoration and aid in management decision-making.