Spatial heterogeneity of organic carbon in muddy tidal flat sediments

Xiangxiang HE; Cai ZHANG; Weifang GU; Keyu TAO; Yuwei LIU; Jiawei DING; Xufeng YANG; Peisong YU

doi:10.1007/s00343-026-5534-5

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Spatial heterogeneity of organic carbon in muddy tidal flat sediments

Updated：2026-08-06

- Spatial heterogeneity of organic carbon in muddy tidal flat sediments
- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Pages: 1-17(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, China
  2.Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, China
  3.Marine Academy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310012, China
- Author bio：
  
  yuppe@sio.org.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s00343-026-5534-5
  CLC：
- Received：25 December 2025，
  
  Online First：06 August 2026，
- Accepted：
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HE Xiangxiang,ZHANG Cai,GU Weifang,et al.Spatial heterogeneity of organic carbon in muddy tidal flat sediments[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,
DOI：

HE Xiangxiang,ZHANG Cai,GU Weifang,et al.Spatial heterogeneity of organic carbon in muddy tidal flat sediments[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, DOI：.

摘要

Abstract

Muddy tidal flats (hereafter referred to as mudflats) dominate China’s coastal tidal wetlands. A comprehensive assessment of their carbon stock characteristics is thus essential for refining the understanding of China’s marine carbon sink capacity. In this study

sediment core sampling was conducted to systematically analyze sedimentary organic carbon (SOC) content

grain-size parameters

clay mineral composition

and carbon stock characteristics of mudflat sediments from different bays in Zhejiang Province. The results indicate that muddy sediments predominate in all three studied bays. The semi-enclosed Yanpu Bay (YP Bay)

with stable hydrodynamics and small-river input

has significantly higher SOC content (0.63%±0.04%) than the high-energy Hangzhou Bay (HZ Bay) (0.55%±0.07%

large-river input) and the open Aiwan Bay (AW Bay) (0.36%±0.07%

no river input). Within individual bays

hydrodynamic conditions varied little across tidal zones

and no statistically significant differences in SOC content were detected. Nevertheless

SOC levels were generally higher in the high-tidal zone than in the middle-tidal and low-tidal zones. Analyses of total organic carbon to total nitrogen ratios (C/N) and stable

carbon isotopes (δ

C) suggest that SOC in all three bays originates from mixed marine and terrestrial sources. Terrestrial organic matter contributes more prominently in HZ Bay and AW Bay due to the influence of Changjiang (Yangtze) River runoff

whereas YP Bay is dominated by marine-derived organic matter. By integrating data from mudflats along the Chinese coast

this study further reveals that carbon stock ranges from 18.2 to 141.5 Mg C/ha

with a total carbon storage of approximately 51.9 Tg C. The SOC stock of mudflats exhibits a “high-medium-high” spatial distribution pattern from north to south

where climate

riverine transport

and sedimentary environments are likely the primary factors driving this variation.

关键词

Keywords

references

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