Salt-affected soils are extensively present and constitute about 7% of total land surface. However, our knowledge about greenhouse gas (GHG) turnover between the atmosphere and the saline soils is very limited. In order to evaluate the potential of GHG consumption in saline soils, we measured gas fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) from the soil surface to the atmosphere under saline-alkaline mudflat and various community types in the Yellow River Delta in China. In general, the emissions of GHG of different ecosystems showed a unique peak diurnal pattern, with the peak at 13:00 h and the lowest value at 07:00 h. The CH 4 and N 2 O emission of different ecosystems followed the order: saline-alkaline mudflat . T. chinensis . S. salsa . P. australis, while the CO 2 emission followed the order: T. chinensis . P. australis . S. salsa . saline-alkaline mudflat. On the whole, saline-alkaline mudflat and different vegetations acted as CO 2 and N 2 O source in spring, while saline-alkaline mudflat and P. australis communities acted as CH 4 source and CH 4 sink, respectively. However, T. chinensis and S. salsa communities acted as CH 4 sink before 12:00 h and CH 4 source after 12:00 h. Although measurements of the CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O fluxes were taken simultaneously, CH 4 and N 2 O fluxes were strongly correlated with soil moisture, temperature and electrical conductivity, while no significant correlation was found between CO 2 flux with above environmental factors. These results probably suggest that factors other than soil temperature, moisture and salinity exerted a larger impact on fluxes than on CH 4 and N 2 O release and/or that there were not enough samples for CO 2 flux measurements because of its higher spatial and temporal variability.