Spatial-temporal change of carbon storage and sink of wetland ecosystem in arid regions, Ningxia Plain

Abstract Accurate assessment of wetland ecosystem carbon sinks is an estimation of future atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, prediction of climate change and its impact on wetland ecosystems. In this study, using remote sensing data and 351 wetland sample sites in 2015, a remote sensing multiple linear regression model (RS-MLRM) was constructed to clarify the carbon storage capacity and its changing process from 2000 to 2015 and their controlling factors in arid regions wetlands. The results are as follows: (1) The studied wetlands acted as atmospheric carbon sinks from 2000 to 2015, increasing by 3.88 × 10 4 tC/a. Moreover, the soil carbon sink (0–40 cm) was approximately twice that of the vegetation carbon sink. (2) Carbon sinks had a clear spatial distribution, with high concentrations in Helan and Pingluo Counties in the central Ningxia Plain. From 2005 to 2015, constructed wetlands significantly increased the carbon sink (P