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Teal Carbon And Freshwater Wetland Carbon Dynamics: A Synthesis of Stocks, Sequestration, Emissions, And Methodological Challenges
Subject area: Physical Sciences and Environment · Area of research: Wetland Carbon Dynamics & Sequestration
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I10-1716792
Abstract
Freshwater wetlands are among the most carbon-dense yet threatened ecosystems on Earth. This seminar paper synthesises five peer-reviewed studies on teal carbon quantification, methane emissions from constructed waterbodies, vegetation-mediated carbon sequestration, wetland conversion to agriculture, and methodological challenges in peatland carbon estimation. Peatlands alone store 387–442 Pg C globally — exceeding blue and green carbon systems per unit area. However, methane emissions, land-use conversion, drainage, and biases in carbon accounting substantially reduce their net climate benefit. The paper concludes with recommendations for conservation, restoration, and improved accounting to support nature-based climate solutions.
Keywords
Teal Carbon, Peatlands, Carbon Sequestration, Methane Emissions, Wetland Degradation, Apparent Carbon Accumulation Rate, Natural Climate Solutions, Soil Organic Carbon.
References
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[2] Davidson, N.C. (2014). How much wetland has the world lost? Long-term and recent trends in global wetland area. Marine and Freshwater Research, 65(10), 934–941.
[3] Davidson, N.C., Fluet-Chouinard, E. and Finlayson, C.M. (2018). Global extent and distribution of wetlands. Marine and Freshwater Research, 69(4), 620–627.
[4] Gardner, R.C. and Finlayson, M. (2018). Global Wetland Outlook 2018. Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Gland, Switzerland.
[5] IPCC (2013). Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Cambridge University Press.
[6] Kumar, S., Sharma, L.K. and Fennessy, M.S. (2025). Global teal carbon: Stocks, sequestration, and its potential role in climate change mitigation. Science of the Total Environment, 995, 180128.
[7] Malerba, M.E., de Kluyver, T., Wright, N., Schuster, L. and Macreadie, P.I. (2022). Methane emissions from agricultural ponds are underestimated in national greenhouse gas inventories. Communications Earth & Environment, 3(1), 306.
[8] Mitsch, W.J. et al. (2013). Wetlands, carbon, and climate change. Landscape Ecology, 28(4), 583–597.
[9] Nahlik, A.M. and Fennessy, M.S. (2016). Carbon storage in US wetlands. Nature Communications, 7, 13835.
[10] Were, D., Kansiime, F., Fetahi, T. and Hein, T. (2020). A natural tropical freshwater wetland is a better climate change mitigation option through soil organic carbon storage compared to a rice paddy wetland. SN Applied Sciences, 2(5), 951.
[11] Whitaker, K., Rogers, K., Saintilan, N., Mazumder, D., Wen, L. and Morrison, R.J. (2015). Vegetation persistence and carbon storage. Water Resources Research, 51(7), 5284–5300.
[12] Young, D.M., Baird, A.J., Gallego-Sala, A.V. and Loisel, J. (2021). A cautionary tale about using the apparent carbon accumulation rate (aCAR) obtained from peat cores. Scientific Reports, 11, 9547.
How to cite this paper
@article{1716792,
author = {Sannu Singh Rawat, Dr. Rohit Misra, Dr. Vikas Bansal, Dr. Doraj Kamal Jamuwa},
title = {Teal Carbon And Freshwater Wetland Carbon Dynamics: A Synthesis of Stocks, Sequestration, Emissions, And Methodological Challenges},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {9},
number = {10},
pages = {2630-2634},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1716792.pdf},
abstract = {Freshwater wetlands are among the most carbon-dense yet threatened ecosystems on Earth. This seminar paper synthesises five peer-reviewed studies on teal carbon quantification, methane emissions from constructed waterbodies, vegetation-mediated carbon sequestration, wetland conversion to agriculture, and methodological challenges in peatland carbon estimation. Peatlands alone store 387–442 Pg C globally — exceeding blue and green carbon systems per unit area. However, methane emissions, land-use conversion, drainage, and biases in carbon accounting substantially reduce their net climate benefit. The paper concludes with recommendations for conservation, restoration, and improved accounting to support nature-based climate solutions.},
keywords = {Teal Carbon, Peatlands, Carbon Sequestration, Methane Emissions, Wetland Degradation, Apparent Carbon Accumulation Rate, Natural Climate Solutions, Soil Organic Carbon.},
month = {April},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I10-1716792}
}