Seagrass ecosystems are considered as major blue carbon sinks, thus contributing directly to the mitigation of climate change by storing carbon in their habitats. However, empirical data for carbon stocks in Malaysia seagrass meadow sediment remain unreported in a standardised format. This paper presents data on organic (OC) and inorganic carbon (IC) stocks, and stable isotope signatures of carbon (δ13C) in bulk seagrass sediments collected from Sungai Pulai estuary (Johor, Malaysia). Within this estuary, seagrasses form shoals at Tanjung Adang and Merambong. Organic carbon and δ13C values in bulk sediment were analysed by an elemental analyser and a continuous flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometer, respectively, while sediment IC data was derived from loss-on-ignition calculations of sample mass differences. The data from these samples are presented as downcore profile of OC (values range at 0.14% to 2.49%), IC (0.16% to 5.29%), δ13C values of organic matter (-27.9‰ to -20.4‰), and cumulative carbon stocks (1.03-3.39 kg OC m-2 and 0.76-2.84 kg IC m-2) in the top 30 cm of sediments. This dataset is applicable for regional and local blue carbon studies, which would allow insights into carbon sink and carbon cycling capacity, in addition to gaining insights into the provenances of carbon stored in seagrass meadows.
Mangroves, seagrasses and macroalgae form inter-connected coastal habitats.They are involved in the direct and indirect sequestration and accumulation of blue carbon and are recognized for their role in climate change mitigation.Macroalgae, though residing within or in close proximity to these ecosystems are, however, not perceived as contributing to blue carbon storage. Such habitat connectivity among the mangrove, seagrass, and macroalgal compartments complicates a straightforward assessment of blue carbon storage. In this study, we assessed the contributions of these macrophytes as endmembers to the bulk organic carbon (OC) stocks in surficial (top 30 cm) and deep (31-100 cm) sediment layers of seagrass beds within the Sungai Pulai estuary (Malaysia).Organic carbon stocks in the seagrass sediments ranged from 14.3 to 21.4 Mg OC ha À1 (surficial depths), and 137.9 ± 23.3 (mean ± SE) Mg OC ha À1 for the deep layer. Mangrove-derived matter contributed a maximum of 65% to the bulk OC pool. The existence of downcore variability indicated that macroalgae contributed up to 16% and were higher than seagrass sources (12%). Our results suggest that macroalgal-derived and mangrove-derived organic matter are important contributors to OC sequestration in the estuary. In view of the heterogeneous OC pool that contributes to bulk OC stocks, placing importance on only one OC source may construe an incomplete profile of habitat-specific capacity for OC storage. This has wider implications for understanding OC subsidies, the effects of which are particularly relevant when one considers the impacts of coastal land use changes on blue carbon storage.
This paper presents data on nitrogen characteristics in a tropical seagrass meadow located in Sungai Pulai estuary (Johor, Malaysia) and is related to the article “Nitrogen dynamics in tropical seagrass meadows under heavy anthropogenic influence” [1]. Field sampling conducted from August 2015 to May 2016 aimed to collect sediments and seagrass tissues for analysis of nitrogen elemental content and stable isotope values. Sediment samples and seagrass tissue (above-ground and below-ground parts) were collected by using PVC cores. The information is presented as unprocessed and partially data, which incorporates nitrogen content (in %) and δ15N values (‰) of sediment and seagrass tissue samples. Nitrogen loadings in the seagrass sediments, as based on down-core data of sediment samples up to 30 cm depths, should be read with [1] to comprehend the baseline nitrogen dynamics of the study area.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.