Contrasting organic carbon respiration pathways in coastal wetlands undergoing accelerated sea level changes.

ABSTRACT

Carbon cycling in coastal wetland soil is controlled by a complex interplay between microbial processes and porewater chemistry that are often influenced by various external forcings like wind, river discharge, and sea-level changes, where most of the organic carbon is mineralized to its inorganic form by various aerobic and anaerobic respiration pathways. The export of this inorganic carbon (DIC) from coastal wetlands has long been recognized as a significant component of the global carbon cycle. The major objective of this work is to determine the relative contribution of various respiration pathways to seasonal DIC production in two contrasting marshes (brackish and salt). The DIC fluxes estimates for the brackish and salt marshes were found to range between 36.52 ± 5.81 and 33.98 ± 2.21 mmol m-2 d-1 in winter and 133.10 ± 102.60 and 82.37 ± 30.87 mmol m-2 d-1 during summer of 2020. For the brackish marsh, aerobic respiration and iron reduction were found to be the primary contributors to DIC production representing 17.91-35.21 % and 61.13-81.97 % of total measured organic matter (OM) respiration respectively. On the other hand, aerobic respiration and sulfate reduction were the primary contributors to DIC production in the salt marsh, accounting for 37.91-83.93 % and 15.87-62.04 % of the total measured OM respiration respectively. The Mississippi River Deltaic Plain experiences high relative sea level rise and expected to undergo rapid change in salinity regime in near future from additional changes in river discharge, proposed sediment diversion plans, and storm surge intensities. The current study represents the first attempt to concurrently estimate various respiration pathways in this region and more studies are needed to understand the trajectories of soil OM respiration pathways and its impact on coastal carbon cycling.