Hydrologic Drivers of Soil Organic Carbon Storage and Stability in Freshwater Mineral Wetlands

Mineral wetlands comprise most of historic wetland loss, yet few studies focus on mineral wetland soil organic carbon (SOC). We explore SOC across continuous hydrologic gradients within and among seasonally flooded mineral wetlands. First, we quantify SOC stabilization (e.g., organo-mineral associations and aggregates) across a wetland–upland gradient. Second, we examine relationships between hydrologic regime and SOC stocks among wetlands. From wetland–upland, saturation was highly variable in the transition zone. Organo-mineral associations peaked in the transition zone while large macroaggregate SOC declined from wetland–upland. Across wetlands, indicators of drying (e.g., minimum water level and summertime recession rate) were more related to SOC than inundation duration. From wetland basin–upland, SOC stocks were significantly related to both mean water level and relative elevation. We highlight relationships between SOC and the dynamic hydrology of wetlands, emphasizing the need for research on how changing hydrologic regime may influence mineral wetland SOC.