Plot-scale spatiotemporal variations of CO 2 concentration and flux across water–air interfaces at aquaculture shrimp ponds in a subtropical estuary

Abstract

Human activities have increased anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, which are believed to play important roles in global warming. The spatiotemporal variations of CO₂ concentration and flux at fine spatial scales in aquaculture ponds remain unclear, particularly in China, the country with the largest aquaculture. In this study, the plot-scale spatiotemporal variations of water CO₂ concentration and flux, both within and among ponds, were researched in shrimp ponds in Shanyutan Wetland, Min River Estuary, Southeast China. The average water CO₂ concentration and flux across the water–air interface in the shrimp ponds over the shrimp farming period varied from 22.79 ± 0.54 to 186.66 ± 8.71 μmol L⁻¹ and from − 0.50 ± 0.04 to 2.87 ± 0.78 mol m⁻² day⁻¹, respectively. There was no remarkable difference in CO₂ concentration and flux within the ponds, but significantly spatiotemporal differences in CO₂ flux were observed between shrimp ponds. Chlorophyll a, pH, salinity, air temperature, and morphometry were the important factors driving the spatiotemporal patterns of CO₂ flux in the shrimp ponds. Our findings highlighted the importance and spatiotemporal variations of CO₂ flux in the important coastal ecosystems.

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