From sink to source: Dynamic of greenhouse gases emissions from beach wrack accumulations in a temperate coastal bay

Abstract

Coastal ecosystems such as salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and kelp forests contribute to climate regulation as carbon sinks. However, coastal ecosystems may act as carbon sources as beach wrack accumulations may release greenhouse gases (GHG) during decomposition. The magnitude of GHG emissions of beach wrack accumulations under natural conditions are poorly understood, hampering accurate blue carbon accountings. In this study, we assessed the spatio-temporal variability and environmental factors driving CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O emissions from beach wrack accumulations on a temperate sandy beach. Beach wrack accumulations, dominated by Zostera marina and opportunistic brown macroalgae, presented variable spatio-temporal dynamics. Annual beach wrack GHG emissions achieved up to 77,915 mg m^-2 d^-1 CO_2e (CO₂ equivalents) and varied largely throughout the study period due to interactive effects of temperature, wave exposure, beach wrack biomass moisture, abundance, and species composition. Our findings showed that methane emissions in new, freshly deposited, and in drifting wrack in the water reached up to 100 mg m^-2 d^-1, representing up to 57 % of annual CO_2e emissions occurring throughout the year. Nitrous oxide emissions were highly variable and comprised a minor extent (i.e., up to 4 %) of annual CO_2e emissions. Together, wrack CH₄ and N₂O emissions provided 13.69 g CO₂ m^-2 per year to the atmosphere. Our findings indicate that excessive opportunistic macroalgae biomass driven by eutrophication may explain increased CO₂ and N₂O emissions. We conclude that whilst beach wrack depositions are a natural and essential part of coastal ecosystems, they may provide an extra source of GHG to the atmosphere, potentially counteracting the role of vegetated coastal ecosystems as carbon sinks.

Keywords: Blue carbon; Carbon dioxide; Methane; Nitrous oxide; Opportunistic macroalgae; Seagrass.