Spatially explicit estimation of soil organic carbon stock of an estuarine mangrove wetland of eastern India using elemental analysis and very-fine resolution satellite data

Abstract

Abstract Background This study estimated the total soil organic C (SOC) stock of the wetland influence zone of Bichitrapur mangroves in eastern India in a spatially explicit manner. Both spatial and vertical distribution of SOC densities with respect to land use/land cover (LULC) pattern were assessed. Subsequently, some site-specific management strategies were forwarded towards enhancement of C sequestration potential. Methods The changing patterns of LULC within the wetland influence zone of the site were analyzed using Landsat TM (30 m) and Pleiades-1A (2 m) imageries from 1988 to 2018. Point-specific SOC measurement was done using samples taken from four core-depth intervals (viz. D1: 0–20 cm, D2: 20–40 cm, D3: 40–70 cm, D4: 70–100 cm) at 89 locations belonging to different LULC categories. Spatial interpolation was applied on this point-based data to produce SOC density and stock models as a whole and at all core-depths. Relationships between SOC density, core-depth and present LULC were evaluated through multivariate statistical analyses. Results The LULC transformations during last three decades suggested the gradual growth of mangrove plantations as well as agricultural and aquacultural activities. Most amount of SOC was concentrated in D1 (37.17%) followed by D3 (26.51%), while D4 had the lowest (10.87%). The highest mean SOC density was observed in the dense mangrove patches (248.92 Mg ha−1) and the lowest mean was in the Casuarina plantations (2.78 Mg ha−1). Here, Spline method emerged as the best-fit interpolation technique to model SOC data (R2 = 0.74) and estimated total SOC stock of the entire wetland influence zone as 169,569.40 Mg and the grand mean as 125.56 Mg ha−1. Overall, LULC was inferred as a major determinant of SOC dynamics with a statistically significant effect (p < 0.001), whereas no such inference could be drawn for soil core-depth. Conclusions The C sequestration potential of sites such as the present one could be increased with appropriate zone-wise plantation strategies, restriction on the land conversion to aquaculture and promotion of ecotourism. Periodic monitoring through integration of geospatial techniques and elemental analyses would be immensely beneficial in this regard. Graphic Abstract