Mangrove soil carbon storage in the Gujarat region, India

Alex Houston and Shrutika Parihar (former PhD exchange student from Ahmedabad University) have been undertaking fieldwork in the mangrove forests of Gujarat, India, assisted by Lauren South and Elina Apine. This fieldwork extends upon previous work undertaken by Alex and Shrutika in the Gulf of Kachchh region, to support a large-scale assessment of mangrove soil carbon storage in the Gujarat region which is currently understudied compared to mangrove forests in other regions of India. The methodologies employed will allow for citizen scientists to contribute to a broader carbon stock data set. Despite the 40*C heat, the team was able to collect sediment samples from seven mangrove sites and two saltmarsh sites. This work is in support of greater efforts by scientists in India to improve the country's understanding of its blue carbon potential and how these valuable ecosystems can contribute to climate change mitigation.