Laboratory simulation of soil respiration response to environmental conditions in intertidal zones of Jiangsu Province, China

As major contributor to the blue carbon sink, intertidal zones play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. In recent years, more attention has been given to the carbon cycle in intertidal wetlands. However, due to highly variable and uncertain environmental conditions, it is difficult to clarify the quantitative relationship between soil respiration and environmental factors through in-situ experiments. In this study, the response of soil respiration characteristics to variations in the temperature and water table was investigated using a monitoring apparatus of CO2 flux at the soil–air interface in the intertidal zone. The results showed that soil respiration flux was significantly correlated with temperature, and the correlation best fitted the DoseResp function. Meanwhile, the respiration flux was enhanced with the descent of water table, a relationship could be described by a quadratic function. The effect of the water table on soil respiration became more pronounced with the rise of temperature. These results provide significant clarification of the impact of human activities on the carbon cycle in bare intertidal zones and as well as support for numerical simulations of the carbon cycle in bare intertidal zones.