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The dynamics of land-sea-scape carbon flow can reveal anthropogenic destruction and restoration of coastal carbon sequestration

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Abstract

Context

Coastal zones are a significant coupling landscape and seascape with large global populations and thus have large concentrations of carbon emissions and potential influences on global environmental changes. However, the impacts of coastal seascape pattern change, on the provision of ecosystem goods and services (e.g. carbon flows) have not been understood fully in the face of rapid human-induced changes.

Objectives

We aim to reveal the dynamics of integrated landscape and seascape (land-sea-scape) carbon flows under the natural and anthropogenic changes, inform coastal spatial planning and restoration, and optimize coastal land-sea-scape pattern.

Methods

A spatial carbon flow network model of land-sea integration was developed to quantify coastal carbon flows under rapid urbanization. We chose a typical coastal city of Xiamen in China as an example to analyze the dynamics of carbon flows and ecological security pattern during 2000–2015.

Results

We found that the total carbon flows between sea and land was 12.78TgCO2 during 2000–2015, and carbon losses due to seascape conversion were 9.76TgCO2. These flows and losses signified the reduction of ecosystem services (carbon sequestration) resilience to further perturbations. Carbon deficit pattern was gradually increased and sprawled out to the forest-farmland landscape and coastal tidal flat seascape, which represent decline of coastal ecosystem security.

Conclusions

Our findings indicated total coastal carbon flows were 4 times greater than terrestrial carbon flows, and carbon deficit was mainly distributed along the coastline in Xiamen. These can provide a reference for better governance of sustainable land-sea-scape pattern to enhance seascape ecology and coastal sustainability.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grants (41976208). We would thank Dr. Zhu Liu at Tsinghua University, China and Dr. Ying Pan at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences for their valuable comments. Thank Mr. Zheng Li for his assistance in sea use/cover classification, and Dr. Yi Li, Ms. Youzhu Zhao and Mr. Xinwei Wang at Xiamen University for their valuable comments and language polishing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China

    Bingxiong Fan & Yangfan Li

  2. Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China

    Bingxiong Fan & Yangfan Li

  3. Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman

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  1. Bingxiong Fan
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Correspondence to Yangfan Li.

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Fan, B., Li, Y. & Pavao-Zuckerman, M. The dynamics of land-sea-scape carbon flow can reveal anthropogenic destruction and restoration of coastal carbon sequestration. Landscape Ecol 36, 1933–1949 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-020-01148-9

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