The role of economic, policy, and ecological factors in estimating the value of carbon stocks in Everglades mangrove forests, South Florida, USA

Jerath, Meenakshi; Bhat, Mahadev G.; Rivera‐Monroy, Victor H.; Castañeda‐Moya, Edward; Simard, Marc; Twilley, Robert R.

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2016.09.005

Cited by 82 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…, Jerath et al. ); however, the Everglades contains only ~24% of its original peat volume because of anthropogenic modification (Hohner and Dreschel ), and climate change pressures keep this wetland in a state of fluctuation that may potentially alter its C storage capacity. In the early part of the 20th century, the construction of canals and levees diverted the flow of water away from the southern coastal Everglades, reducing water tables by as much as 2.7 m and resulting in the loss of one‐half the ecosystem (McVoy et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salinity pulses interact with seasonal dry‐down to increase ecosystem carbon loss in marshes of the Florida Everglades

Wilson

Servais

Mazzei

et al. 2018

Ecological Applications

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Coastal wetlands are globally important sinks of organic carbon (C). However, to what extent wetland C cycling will be affected by accelerated sea‐level rise (SLR) and saltwater intrusion is unknown, especially in coastal peat marshes where water flow is highly managed. Our objective was to determine how the ecosystem C balance in coastal peat marshes is influenced by elevated salinity. For two years, we made monthly in situ manipulations of elevated salinity in freshwater (FW) and brackish water (BW) sites within Everglades National Park, Florida, USA. Salinity pulses interacted with marsh‐specific variability in seasonal hydroperiods whereby effects of elevated pulsed salinity on gross ecosystem productivity (GEP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) were dependent on marsh inundation level. We found little effect of elevated salinity on C cycling when both marsh sites were inundated, but when water levels receded below the soil surface, the BW marsh shifted from a C sink to a C source. During these exposed periods, we observed an approximately threefold increase in CO2 efflux from the marsh as a result of elevated salinity. Initially, elevated salinity pulses did not affect Cladium jamaicense biomass, but aboveground biomass began to be significantly decreased in the saltwater amended plots after two years of exposure at the BW site. We found a 65% (FW) and 72% (BW) reduction in live root biomass in the soil after two years of exposure to elevated salinity pulses. Regardless of salinity treatment, the FW site was C neutral while the BW site was a strong C source (−334 to −454 g C·m−2·yr−1), particularly during dry‐down events. A loss of live roots coupled with annual net CO2 losses as marshes transition from FW to BW likely contributes to the collapse of peat soils observed in the coastal Everglades. As SLR increases the rate of saltwater intrusion into coastal wetlands globally, understanding how water management influences C gains and losses from these systems is crucial. Under current Everglades’ water management, drought lengthens marsh dry‐down periods, which, coupled with saltwater intrusion, accelerates CO2 loss from the marsh.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salinity pulses interact with seasonal dry‐down to increase ecosystem carbon loss in marshes of the Florida Everglades

Wilson

Servais

Mazzei

et al. 2018

Ecological Applications

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“…The case for restoration of freshwater flow in ENP is not just based on improving the fishery habitat Chen and Twilley, 1999;Ross et al, 2000). ENP provides a host of ecosystem services including groundwater recharge, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, and mangroves-related services, among others (Richardson et al, 2014;Jerath et al, 2016). Our study clearly shows that recreational anglers do attach highest value on non-fishing related attributes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Ecological-economic assessment of the effects of freshwater flow in the Florida Everglades on recreational fisheries

Brown

Bhat

Rehage

et al. 2018

Science of The Total Environment

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• Develops an integrated methodology linking Everglades hydrology to economic values • First ever estimate of anglers' willingness to pay for Everglades recreational experience • Estimates losses in economic welfare due to missing freshwater delivery targets and implicit price of water use for recreation at $41.54 AF -1 • Relevant applications to management, restoration, and climate scenario analysis This research develops an integrated methodology to determine the economic value to anglers of recreational fishery ecosystem services in Everglades National Park that could result from different water management scenarios. The study first used bio-hydrological models to link managed freshwater inflows to indicators of fishery productivity and ecosystem health, then link those models to anglers' willingness-to-pay for various attributes of the recreational fishing experience and monthly fishing effort. This approach allowed us to estimate the foregone economic benefits of failing to meet monthly freshwater delivery targets. The study found that the managed freshwater delivery to the Park had declined substantially over the years and had fallen short of management targets. This shortage in the flow resulted in the decline of biological productivity of recreational fisheries in downstream coastal areas. This decline had in turn contributed to reductions in the overall economic value of recreational ecosystem services enjoyed by anglers. The study estimated the annual value of lost recreational services at $68.81 million. The losses were greater in the months of dry season when the water shortage was higher and the number of anglers fishing also was higher than the levels in wet season. The study also developed conservative estimates of implicit price of water for recreation, which ranged from $11.88 per AF in November to $112.11 per AF in April. The annual average price was $41.54 per AF. Linking anglers' recreational preference directly to a decision variable such as water delivery is a powerful and effective way to make management decision. G R A P H I C A L A B S T R A C T a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Contents lists available at ScienceDirectScience of the Total Environment j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / s c i t o t e n v This document is a U.S. government work and is not subject to copyright in the United States.This methodology has relevant applications to water resource management, serving as useful decision-support metrics, as well as for policy and restoration scenario analysis.

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“…, Jerath et al. ). An ecosystem service that has recently received increased scientific attention is the high carbon (C) sequestration capacity of mangroves (Kauffman and Donato , Howard et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inter‐ and intraspecific variation in mangrove carbon fraction and wood specific gravity in Gazi Bay, Kenya

et al. 2018

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Abstract. The tropical mangrove ecosystem harbors great potential for carbon offsetting schemes because of their exceptionally high carbon sequestration potential. These cannot only generate an income for local communities by financially compensating for the non-exploitation of protected or replanted stands, but also simultaneously reduce emissions due to forest degradation and deforestation, thereby helping to counteract the global threat on these forests. As carbon is directly monetized through offsetting carbon emissions, accurate species-specific estimation of carbon content in trees is essential and reduces the propagation of errors generated by accounting uncertainties. Accordingly, this study assessed variation in both carbon fraction and wood specific gravity among and within the 10 mangrove species occurring in Gazi Bay, Kenya. Significant interspecific differences were found with values ranging from 45.8% (Avicennia marina) to 49.8% (Ceriops tagal) for carbon fraction and from 0.58 (Sonneratia alba) to 0.93 (Pemphis acidula) for wood specific gravity. The influence of environmental factors (soil salinity, stand density, and elevation a.s.l. as a proxy for multiple interrelated conditions) was investigated, but only elevation a.s.l. appeared to have a species-specific though moderate influence only on carbon fraction. Significant differences in carbon fraction and wood specific gravity were found between stem, aerial roots, and branches of Rhizophora mucronata. In contrast, no significant differences in carbon fraction were found among different stem tissues of A. marina, C. tagal and R. mucronata, the Bay's most abundant species. These results provide insight in carbon content variation, confirming the importance of considering species-specific or even sitespecific values of carbon fraction and wood specific gravity, thereby rendering future carbon accounting more accurate.

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The role of economic, policy, and ecological factors in estimating the value of carbon stocks in Everglades mangrove forests, South Florida, USA

Cited by 82 publications

References 67 publications

Salinity pulses interact with seasonal dry‐down to increase ecosystem carbon loss in marshes of the Florida Everglades

Salinity pulses interact with seasonal dry‐down to increase ecosystem carbon loss in marshes of the Florida Everglades

Ecological-economic assessment of the effects of freshwater flow in the Florida Everglades on recreational fisheries

Inter‐ and intraspecific variation in mangrove carbon fraction and wood specific gravity in Gazi Bay, Kenya

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