Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus storage in subtropical seagrass meadows: examples from Florida Bay and Shark Bay

Seagrass meadows in Florida Bay and Shark Bay, Western Australia, store significant amounts of organic carbon and nutrients, with Shark Bay soils containing 21% more organic carbon and 35% more phosphorus than those in Florida Bay. Shark Bay also exhibits lower soil density, indicating a less compacted structure. Hypersaline regions in both bays show higher surficial soil organic carbon content. While Florida Bay's soil profiles suggest increased phosphorus delivery and primary productivity over the past century, Shark Bay's profiles indicate a decline in these factors over the last 1000 years. Despite differences, both bays rank among global hotspots for coastal ecosystem organic carbon storage, with Shark Bay storing an average of 243.0 MgCorg ha⁻¹ compared to Florida Bay's 163.5 MgCorg ha⁻¹.

Fourqurean, J. W., Kendrick, G. A., Collins, L. S., Chambers, R. M., & Vanderklift, M. A. (2012). Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus storage in subtropical seagrass meadows: examples from Florida Bay and Shark Bay. Marine and Freshwater Research, 63(11), 967–983. https://doi.org/10.1071/mf12101