Global hotspots of salt marsh change and carbon emissions.

ABSTRACT: Salt marshes provide ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration¹, coastal protection², sea-level-rise (SLR) adaptation³ and recreation⁴. SLR⁵, storm events⁶, drainage⁷ and mangrove encroachment⁸ are known drivers of salt marsh loss. However, the global magnitude and location of changes in salt marsh extent remains uncertain. Here we conduct a global and systematic change analysis of Landsat satellite imagery from the years 2000-2019 to quantify the loss, gain and recovery of salt marsh ecosystems and then estimate the impact of these changes on blue carbon stocks. We show a net salt marsh loss globally, equivalent to an area double the size of Singapore (719 km²), with a loss rate of 0.2

SUBMITTER: Campbell AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9771810 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature