Aims

Coastal salt marshes are productive ecosystems that are highly efficient carbon sinks, but there is uncertainty regarding the interactions among climate warming, plant species, and tidal restriction on C cycling.

Methods

Open-top chambers (OTCs) were deployed at two coastal wetlands in Yancheng, China, where native Phragmites australis (Phragmites) and invasive Spartina alterniflora (Spartina) were dominant, respectively. Two study locations were set up in each area based on difference in tidal action. The OTCs achieved an increase of average daytime air temperature of ~ 1.11–1.55 °C. Net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration (R_eco), CH₄ fluxes, aboveground biomass and other abiotic factors were monitored over three years.

Results

Warming reduced the magnitude of the radiative balance of native Phragmites, which was determined to still be a consistent C sink. In contrast, warming or tidal flooding presumably transform the Spartina into a weak C source, because either warming-induced high salinity reduced the magnitude of NEE by 19% or flooding increased CH₄ emissions by 789%. Remarkably, native Phragmites affected by tidal restrictions appeared to be a consistent C source with the radiative balance of 7.11–9.64 kg CO₂-eq m^–2 yr^–1 because of a reduction in the magnitude of NEE and increase of CH₄ fluxes.

Conclusions

Tidal restrictions that disconnect the tidal hydrologic connection between the ocean and land may transform coastal wetlands from C sinks to C sources. This transformation may potentially be an even greater threat to coastal carbon sequestration than climate warming or invasive plant species in isolation.