The effect of nutrient-rich effluents from shrimp farming on mangrove soil carbon storage and geochemistry under semi-arid climate conditions in northern Brazil

Suárez-Abelenda, Manuel; Ferreira, Tiago Osório; Arbestain, Marta Camps; Rivera‐Monroy, Victor H.; Macı́as, Felipe; Nóbrega, Gabriel Nuto; Otero, Xosé Luís

doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2013.08.007

Cited by 82 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 44 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…If a recent, long‐lasting change has occurred in a sampling location (such as natural or anthropogenic alterations to wetland structure or hydrology), then it is conceivable that a short‐term record that captures acceleration or deceleration in sedimentation rates as a response to a disturbance might provide the best indication of future trends. Examples include road construction [ Harmon et al ., ], shrimp farm construction [ Suárez‐Abelenda et al ., ], abrupt tectonic change [ Patel and Agoramoorthy , ] or direct impact of a large storm [ Cahoon et al ., ]. But, unless such short‐term changes can be categorically differentiated from the long‐term steady‐state cycles and processes of delivery and degradation, then observations from a longer period of record are more likely to provide a reliable prediction of future sediment accumulation rates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal variability of carbon and nutrient burial, sediment accretion, and mass accumulation over the past century in a carbonate platform mangrove forest of the Florida Everglades

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The objective of this research was to measure temporal variability in accretion and mass sedimentation rates (including organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorous (TP)) from the past century in a mangrove forest on the Shark River in Everglades National Park, USA. The 210 Pb Constant Rate of Supply model was applied to six soil cores to calculate annual rates over the most recent 10, 50, and 100 year time spans. Our results show that rates integrated over longer timeframes are lower than those for shorter, recent periods of observation. Additionally, the substantial spatial variability between cores over the 10 year period is diminished over the 100 year record, raising two important implications. First, a multiple-decade assessment of soil accretion and OC burial provides a more conservative estimate and is likely to be most relevant for forecasting these rates relative to long-term processes of sea level rise and climate change mitigation. Second, a small number of sampling locations are better able to account for spatial variability over the longer periods than for the shorter periods. The site average 100 year OC burial rate, 123 ± 19 (standard deviation) g m À2 yr À1 , is low compared with global mangrove values. High TN and TP burial rates in recent decades may lead to increased soil carbon remineralization, contributing to the low carbon burial rates. Finally, the strong correlation between OC burial and accretion across this site signals the substantial contribution of OC to soil building in addition to the ecosystem service of CO 2 sequestration.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal variability of carbon and nutrient burial, sediment accretion, and mass accumulation over the past century in a carbonate platform mangrove forest of the Florida Everglades

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While mangroves are widespread in Brazil, we know of no studies that have reported ecosystem carbon stocks for this region. However, the several studies reporting aboveground or belowground carbon stocks of tropical and subtropical mangroves and salt marshes in Brazil suggest they are important carbon sinks (Ferreira et al., ; Sanders, Smoak, Naidu, & Patchineelam, ; Sanders, Smoak, Naidu, Sanders, & Patchineelam, ; Sanders, Smoak, Naidu, Araripe et al., ; Suárez‐Abelenda et al., ; Santos et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Degradation of coastal ecosystems by this land use is not limited to the confines of the shrimp ponds. Mangroves near shrimp ponds are also greatly impacted by effluents that result in changes in soil biogeochemistry such as enrichment of N and P and increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from soils (Nóbrega, Ferreira, Romero, Marques, & Otero, ; Nóbrega et al., ; Suárez‐Abelenda et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shrimp ponds lead to massive loss of soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in northeastern Brazilian mangroves

Kauffman

Bernardino

Ferreira

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

115

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mangroves of the semiarid Caatinga region of northeastern Brazil are being rapidly converted to shrimp pond aquaculture. To determine ecosystem carbon stocks and potential greenhouse gas emissions from this widespread land use, we measured carbon stocks of eight mangrove forests and three shrimp ponds in the Acaraú and Jaguaribe watersheds in Ceará state, Brazil. The shrimp ponds were paired with adjacent intact mangroves to ascertain carbon losses and potential emissions from land conversion. The mean total ecosystem carbon stock of mangroves in this semiarid tropical landscape was 413 ± 94 Mg C/ha. There were highly significant differences in the ecosystem carbon stocks between the two sampled estuaries suggesting caution when extrapolating carbon stock across different estuaries even in the same landscape. Conversion of mangroves to shrimp ponds resulted in losses of 58%–82% of the ecosystem carbon stocks. The mean potential emissions arising from mangrove conversion to shrimp ponds was 1,390 Mg CO2e/ha. Carbon losses were largely from soils which accounted for 81% of the total emission. Losses from soils >100 cm in depth accounted for 33% of the total ecosystem carbon loss. Soil carbon losses from shrimp pond conversion are equivalent to about 182 years of soil carbon accumulation. Losses from mangrove conversion are about 10‐fold greater than emissions from conversion of upland tropical dry forest in the Brazilian Caatinga underscoring the potential value for their inclusion in climate change mitigation activities.

show abstract

“…This includes tracking dissolved inorganic nutrients (NO 2 − ‐N, NO 3 − ‐N, NH 4 + ‐N and PO 4 3− ‐P), which are often high in shrimp pond sediments and effluent (Yang et al, ) and may still be entering the mangrove. These nutrients can impact forest productivity and soil biogeochemistry with soil CO 2 fluxes indicating that pond effluents high in NO 3 − significantly increase microbial activity in anoxic soils (Suárez‐Abelenda et al, ). Since shrimp pond POM δ 13 C values are consistent with reworked mangrove leaf litter, it is difficult to fully conclude whether shrimp aquaculture OM is settling in the mangrove.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the fate of shrimp aquaculture effluent in a mangrove ecosystem: Aiding management for coastal conservation

Hargan

Williams

Nuangsaeng

et al. 2020

Journal of Applied Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Areas dedicated to shrimp aquaculture have increased dramatically over the last 50 years. Resultant land‐use changes directly threaten the extent of mangroves and yield conflicts on the discharge location of aquaculture effluent. Khung Krabaen Bay (KBB), Thailand, is reforesting mangroves while increasing the efficiency of shrimp aquaculture for local farmers. In this coupled shrimp farm–mangrove system, effective management requires understanding the fate of aquaculture organic matter (OM) in the coastal environment. We examined carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N) in primary producers and pools of particulate and sediment OM (POM, SOM) from the KKB mangrove and marine ecosystem to determine how shrimp aquaculture OM contributes to the coastal environment. Here, soy‐based shrimp feed resulted in low shrimp δ15N, similar to marine POM, and thus we focus on the use of δ13C in tracking shrimp pond effluent in the environment. δ13C signatures of SOM varied significantly along a land‐to‐ocean gradient (–29.1‰ to –23.9‰). We found consistently depleted mangrove SOM δ13C signatures (–29.4‰ to –28.2‰) indicating that mangrove leaf litter is the primary source of OM to mangrove sediments, and there is little evidence that marine and shrimp pond OM contributes to the mangrove habitat. In contrast, relatively low δ13C values for marine SOM (–25.7‰ to –23.9‰) overlap with the δ13C of shrimp feed (–25.3‰) and Bayesian mixing models indicate that shrimp aquaculture feed and mangrove vegetation contribute the greatest OM to the marine ecosystem. Compared to 20 years ago, marine SOM δ13C signatures are depleted by ~10‰ and similar throughout KKB, indicating a homogenization of marine SOM carbon sources from 1998 to 2018. Synthesis and applications. The doubling of shrimp aquaculture in Khung Krabaen Bay (KKB) since 1998 led to increased discharge to the bay, swamping organic matter (OM) contributions from 13C‐enriched seagrasses and marine plankton. Because of this increase in effluent release to KKB, the chemical impact is likely to be greater for the marine ecosystem than the mangrove and should also be a focus of conservation efforts. Continued technological improvements (e.g. closed systems, better feed efficiency) and support to local aquaculture farmers will help reduce OM discharge to coastal ecosystems and promote sustainable farming practices.

show abstract

The effect of nutrient-rich effluents from shrimp farming on mangrove soil carbon storage and geochemistry under semi-arid climate conditions in northern Brazil

Cited by 82 publications

References 44 publications

Temporal variability of carbon and nutrient burial, sediment accretion, and mass accumulation over the past century in a carbonate platform mangrove forest of the Florida Everglades

Temporal variability of carbon and nutrient burial, sediment accretion, and mass accumulation over the past century in a carbonate platform mangrove forest of the Florida Everglades

Shrimp ponds lead to massive loss of soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in northeastern Brazilian mangroves

Understanding the fate of shrimp aquaculture effluent in a mangrove ecosystem: Aiding management for coastal conservation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About