185
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019
T. Kuwae, M. Hori (eds.), Blue Carbon in Shallow Coastal Ecosystems,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1295-3_7
Chapter 7
CO 2 Fluxes in Mangrove Ecosystems
Anirban Akhand, Abhra Chanda, Sourav Das, Sugata Hazra,
and Tomohiro Kuwae
Abstract Mangroves have long been recognized as a potential sink of carbon
owing to their high productivity and carbon sequestration potential. The short term
CO 2 dynamics of mangroves are often put under lenses to examine their potential to
combat the human induced CO 2 emission. Mainly three types of CO 2 fluxes take
place within a mangrove ecosystem namely (i) atmosphere-biosphere CO 2 exchange,
(ii) soil CO 2 efflux and (iii) air-water CO 2 flux. In this chapter, we have compiled all
types of the CO 2 flux data from mangrove ecosystems with special emphasis on the
Sundarban, the world’s largest mangrove forest and analyzed the regulating factors
of these fluxes. Summarizing all the studies, it can be inferred that the terrestrial
compartments of mangroves acts as net sink for CO 2 , though the soil continually
emit CO 2 (apart from few exceptions). Almost all the mangrove surrounding waters
act as source of CO 2 , however, the magnitude of air-water CO 2 fluxes are much less
than the inward fluxes of CO 2 towards the canopy, hence the ecosystem as a whole
acts as a net sink for CO 2 . Light conditions, air temperature, salinity, tidal cycle and
so forth are mainly found to regulate the atmosphere-biosphere CO 2 flux, whereas,
soil temperature, moisture and waterlogging are the principal factors regulating the
soil CO 2 fluxes. In case of air-water fluxes, the main governing factors are the variation in salinity, pore-water flushing during ebb tide and wind speed.
A. Akhand (*) · T. Kuwae
Coastal and Estuarine Environment Research Group, Port and Airport Research Institute,
Yokosuka, Japan
A. Chanda · S. Das · S. Hazra
School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019
T. Kuwae, M. Hori (eds.), Blue Carbon in Shallow Coastal Ecosystems,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1295-3_7
Chapter 7
CO 2 Fluxes in Mangrove Ecosystems
Anirban Akhand, Abhra Chanda, Sourav Das, Sugata Hazra,
and Tomohiro Kuwae
Abstract Mangroves have long been recognized as a potential sink of carbon
owing to their high productivity and carbon sequestration potential. The short term
CO 2 dynamics of mangroves are often put under lenses to examine their potential to
combat the human induced CO 2 emission. Mainly three types of CO 2 fluxes take
place within a mangrove ecosystem namely (i) atmosphere-biosphere CO 2 exchange,
(ii) soil CO 2 efflux and (iii) air-water CO 2 flux. In this chapter, we have compiled all
types of the CO 2 flux data from mangrove ecosystems with special emphasis on the
Sundarban, the world’s largest mangrove forest and analyzed the regulating factors
of these fluxes. Summarizing all the studies, it can be inferred that the terrestrial
compartments of mangroves acts as net sink for CO 2 , though the soil continually
emit CO 2 (apart from few exceptions). Almost all the mangrove surrounding waters
act as source of CO 2 , however, the magnitude of air-water CO 2 fluxes are much less
than the inward fluxes of CO 2 towards the canopy, hence the ecosystem as a whole
acts as a net sink for CO 2 . Light conditions, air temperature, salinity, tidal cycle and
so forth are mainly found to regulate the atmosphere-biosphere CO 2 flux, whereas,
soil temperature, moisture and waterlogging are the principal factors regulating the
soil CO 2 fluxes. In case of air-water fluxes, the main governing factors are the variation in salinity, pore-water flushing during ebb tide and wind speed.
A. Akhand (*) · T. Kuwae
Coastal and Estuarine Environment Research Group, Port and Airport Research Institute,
Yokosuka, Japan
A. Chanda · S. Das · S. Hazra
School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India