Carbon Stocks of Tropical Coastal Wetlands within the Karstic Landscape of the Mexican Caribbean

Coastal wetlands within the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (SKBR) in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula store significant amounts of carbon, with tall mangroves holding the highest stocks at 987±338 Mg ha⁻¹. Soil carbon constitutes 78-99% of these stocks, indicating its critical role in ecosystem carbon storage. The study found that lower salinity and higher phosphorus levels in soils correlate with greater carbon sequestration potential, suggesting phosphorus limitation. Across the 172,176-ha reserve, coastal wetlands may store between 43.2 to 58.0 million Mg of carbon, underscoring their importance as a climate mitigation strategy. Researchers quantified ecosystem carbon stocks by measuring above and belowground biomass, downed wood, soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and interstitial salinity at nine sites within SKBR.

Adame, M. F., Kauffman, J. B., Medina, I., Gamboa, J. N., Torres, O., Caamal, J. P., Reza, M., & Herrera-Silveira, J. A. (2013). Carbon Stocks of Tropical Coastal Wetlands within the Karstic Landscape of the Mexican Caribbean. PLoS ONE, 8(2), e56569. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056569