Assesstment of soil organic carbon in mangrove area, Pante Bayam- Aceh

Abstract

Pante Bayam is one of natural mangrove area in Aceh Province. Due to
anthropogenic activities such as fishpond, the area become degradated. This study
aims to analyze soil organic carbon (SOC) stock based on soil depth and texture
characteristics at several observation points in the study area. Data were collected
from seven sample locations with four categories of soil depth: 0–15 cm, 15–30
cm, 30–50 cm, and 50–100 cm. The results showed that the highest carbon stock
was found at a depth of 50–100 cm, reaching 159.1 Mg C/ha, while the 15–30 cm
layer had the lowest carbon stock. This indicates that the subsoil plays a significant
role in long-term carbon storage. The distribution of carbon stocks also varied
between locations, where PB04 and PB07 showed the highest values, while PB05
and PB06 showed the lowest. Correlation analysis showed a positive relationship
between clay content and soil carbon stock, indicating that fine soil texture
supports carbon accumulation through the formation of stable aggregates. These
findings emphasize the importance of soil management that considers soil depth
and physical characteristics to increase the potential for climate change mitigation
through sustainable soil carbon storage