Work Package 2: Carbon dynamics in saltmarsh ecosystems

Objectives:

• Measure the net primary productivity of saltmarsh plant species across different geomorphic settings

• Assess the C provenance in saltmarsh soils

• Assess the lateral fluxes of dissolved C outwelling from saltmarsh habitats

• Integrating this data with ongoing work at UCD to provide an assessment of the C storage capacity across time-scales

• Carry out a restoration feasibility study to provide pilot data for future projects and carbon financing mechanisms

Tasks:

• Assessment of net primary productivity

• Assessment of C provenance

• Assessment of lateral C fluxes

• Restoration feasibility study

• Synthesis and assessment of climate forcing

Deliverables:

• Dataset on saltmarsh species productivity

• Dataset on C provenance in an Irish saltmarsh ecosystem

• Dataset on lateral fluxes in an Irish BCEs

• Dataset on restoration site characteristics

• Dataset on the net radiative forcing of Irish saltmarsh ecosystems (inventory of C storage capacity of Irish saltmarshes over a range of timescales)

• PhD thesis on C provenance and lateral fluxes in an Irish saltmarsh ecosystem