Ge et al. (2025): Invasion of Spartina species enhance blue carbon functions by increasing CO₂ uptake and reducing methane emissions in Chinese and Danish coastal wetlands
Ming Ge, Linjing Ren, Dan Yang, Xiuzhen Li, Ying Huang, Jianwu Tang, Hans Brix IN: Journal of Cleaner Production, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145596
The authors evaluated the impact of Spartina species invasion on carbon fluxes in salt marsh wetlands across China and Denmark, regions differing in climate but sharing the native species Phragmites australis. Monthly observations throughout a growing season revealed that Spartina invasions enhanced coastal wetlands’ carbon sequestration by increasing CO₂ uptake and reducing CH₄ emissions. Despite some offset by methane emissions, Spartina exhibited a lower overall radiative forcing compared to Phragmites, highlighting its potential in mitigating global warming. Species-specific plant traits and abiotic factors like temperature were identified as major drivers of carbon dynamics.