Impacts of wetland dieback on carbon dynamics: A comparison between intact and degraded mangroves

This study address the research question in how far the degradation of the mangroves is changing the carbon storage inside the forest by comparing intact and degraded mangrove sites. Further this project investigated how a change in carbon stocks affects the CO2 emissions arising from the degrading mangroves and if they show a different behavior in tidal-induced outwelling of dissolved organic (DOC) and inorganic carbon (DIC), which could affect adjacent ecosystems like seagrass meadows or coral reefs. We assessed sediment carbon storage (Corg, Cinorg, Ctotal), sediment CO2 effluxes as well as dissolved organic and inorganic carbon in pore and surface waters in the mangrove forest of Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean.