Review of Organic Carbon Sources and Flux Estimation of Coastal Wetlands

Abstract:

Estuarine is a highly dynamic place for organic carbon transport and burial， which plays an important role in global carbon cycle. The organic carbon dynamics in coastal wetlands is important for assessing the “source/sink” effect of carbon in coastal ecosystems. This paper focuses on the organic carbon exchange in estuaries. First. it illustrates the vertical burial mechanism of organic carbon in coastal wetlands and its lateral transport process with offshore areas. Then， it summarizes the current methods of organic carbon source tracing and organic carbon flux estimation. Afterwards， it discusses the application of remote sensing technology in the inversion and estimation of organic carbon in estuaries， based on the generalization of field observation instruments and laboratory measurement techniques for determining organic carbon components. Finally， it conducts a comparison of the research of the carbon cycle models of coastal wetland ecosystems. It proposes that future research should focus on improving the applicability and stability of the models， and that the long-term field observations， laboratory techniques， satellite remote sensing monitoring and carbon cycle model simulations should be combined to accurately quantify and predict the carbon sink capacity of estuaries with high-precision simulations.

Key words:coastal wetland;organic carbon burial;lateral migration of organic carbon;monitoring and forecasting methods