Standing Carbon Stock of Thane Creek Mangrove Ecosystem: an Integrated Approach Using Allometry and Remote Sensing Techniques

The study quantified the carbon storage potential of the Avicennia marina dominated mangrove ecosystem in Thane Creek, Maharashtra, India. Above-ground tree biomass was quantified using Allometry technique and Allometry - Remote Sensing Integrated technique to avoid destructive methods of biomass estimation. The mangroves along both the banks of Thane Creek were divided into ten stations, and the study was conducted. New allometric equations for A. marina were generated using the equations available in literature and field data on diameter at breast height. In the integrated method, Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) map was merged with the ground data and generated the biomass map. The carbon contents of different mangrove biomass components and the sediment were quantified to assess the carbon stock of the ecosystem. The above ground biomass estimated using allometric approach and integrated approach was 84.83 and 111.31 Mg ha−1, respectively. The performance of the biomass estimation methods was evaluated using Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), showing 6.21 Mg ha−1 suggesting a good fit. The estimated mean total carbon stock through Allometry technique is 116.58 Mg C ha−1 whereas the integrated technique showed it to be 127.89 Mg C ha−1. The baseline information on the mangrove carbon stock distribution will serve as a valuable input for assessing carbon dynamics in the mangrove ecosystems, and monitoring and management of Thane Creek Mangroves as well as other similar ecosystems.