Preliminary manifestation of the Yangtze River Protection Strategy in improving the carbon sink function of estuary wetlands
Haoyu Dong,
Yu Hu,
Liwei Qian,
Jianfang Yan,
Lianying Gao,
Wenxuan Mei,
Jialu Zhang,
Xiuzhi Chen,
Pengfei Wu,
Ying Sun,
Xiaohua Fu,
Mengdi Xie,
Lei Wang
Affiliations
Haoyu Dong
Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Yu Hu
Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Shanghai Urban Construction Design and Research Institute, Shanghai 200125, China
Liwei Qian
Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Research Department of Energy and Eco-Environment, Zhejiang Development & Planning Institute, Hangzhou 310030, China
Jianfang Yan
Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, P.R. China
Lianying Gao
Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Wenxuan Mei
Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Jialu Zhang
Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Xiuzhi Chen
Shanghai Jiuduansha Wetland Nature Reserve Management Affairs Center, Shanghai 200136, China
Pengfei Wu
Shanghai Jiuduansha Wetland Nature Reserve Management Affairs Center, Shanghai 200136, China
Ying Sun
Shanghai Jiuduansha Wetland Nature Reserve Management Affairs Center, Shanghai 200136, China
Xiaohua Fu
Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Mengdi Xie
Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Corresponding author
Lei Wang
Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China; Corresponding author
Summary: In 2016, the Yangtze River Protection Strategy was proposed and a series of measures were applied to restore the health and function of the Yangtze River ecosystem. However, the impact of these measures on the carbon (C) sink capacity of the Yangtze River estuary wetlands has not been exhaustively studied. In this work, the effects of these measures on the C sink capacity of Yangtze River estuary wetlands were examined through the long-term monitoring of C fluxes, soil respiration, plant growth and water quality. The C flux of the Yangtze River estuary wetlands has become increasingly negative after the implementation of these measures, mainly owing to reduction in soil CO2 emission. The decrease in the chemical fertilizer release and returning farmland to wetland had led to the improvement of water quality in the estuary area, which further reduced soil heterotrophic microbial activity, and ultimately decreasing soil CO2 emissions of estuary wetlands.
