Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability
  • Year: 2015
  • Volume: 3
  • Issue: 2

Impact of Salinity on above Ground Biomass and Stored Carbon in a Common Mangrove Excoecaria agallocha of Indian Sundarbans

1Assistant Professor, School of Biodiversity and Conservation of Natural Resources, Central University of Orissa, Landiguda, Koraput, 764021, India

2Associate Professor, Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta, 35 B.C. Road, Kolkata, 700019, India

*Corresponding author Email Id: banerjee.kakoli@yahoo.com

Online published on 27 November, 2015.

Abstract

We undertook an experimental approach to evaluate the biomass and stored carbon in above ground structures in Excoecaria agallocha in Indian Sundarbans for 5 successive years (2005–2010) in relation to salinity of the ambient water. The experiment was carried out in two sections of Indian Sundarbans, which has served as test bed for evaluating the role of salinity on mangroves. The biomass and carbon content of the above ground structures (stem, branch and leaf) of the species vary significantly with sectors (p < 0.01), the values being more in the high saline central sector on account of higher stem biomass.. The results of the present experiment suggest the growth and stored carbon in E. agallocha as proxy to ambient aquatic salinity.

Keywords

Exocoecaria agallocha, Above Ground Biomass, Salinity, Carbon, Indian Sundarbans