oa Assessment of Organic Carbon Storage and Source Identification in Upo Wetlands

Inland wetlands have the potential for long-term carbon storage as ‘Teal Carbon,’ but research on the origin and quantity of the stored carbon is limited. This study investigated the potential of inland wetlands as new ‘Teal Carbon’ reservoirs and determined the origin of stored organic carbon.

Core samples were collected in 2023 from shallow and deep marshes in Upo Wetland. The shallow marsh showed a sedimentation rate of 1.0 cm/y, while the deep marsh showed rates ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 cm/y. The average carbon content in the 0.0–0.9 m sediment section was 3.13% in the shallow marsh and between 1.07% and 1.38% in the deep marsh. Biomarkers were used to trace the sources of the deposited organic carbon, revealing that over 90% of the organic carbon originated from phytoplankton. This study suggests that Upo Wetland has the potential to function as a ‘Teal Carbon’ reservoir, accumulating planktonic organic matter.