Spatiotemporal Evolution of Carbon Storage in Mangrove Forest along the Coast of Guangdong Province Based on Remote Sensing Monitoring Data

Abstract

Mangroves is one of the three major blue carbon systems, possessing significant ecological functions of carbon sequestration and carbon storage, and is also an important symbol of China's marine ecological construction. This paper employs computer analysis of various remote sensing monitoring data and field discrimination, utilizing a long-time series satellite remote sensing monitoring dataset of mangrove forests from 1978 to 2018. Through an intelligent computing platform, it conducts carbon storage accounting, dynamic degree analysis, kernel density analysis, and visualization analysis. Taking Guangdong Province, which possesses superior mangrove resources in China, as a case study, the paper delineates the spatiotemporal distribution and evolution characteristics of the mangrove forests along the Guangdong coastal zone over a 40-year period. Furthermore, it uses a carbon storage estimation model to uncover the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of the mangrove carbon storage along the Guangdong coastal zone. The results showed that: during the study period, (1) the distribution area of mangroves along the Guangdong coastal zone showed a trend of falling first and then rising in general, which can be divided into two stages. The spatial distribution was not uniform, and the medium or above value areas of kernel density were mainly distributed in the bay areas, and the overall pattern was “more in the west than in the east”. The distribution morphology evolved from strip to scattered patches, and after partial restoration, the patches area increased, but the consistency and agglomeration were not as good as before. (2) The carbon storage in mangroves along the Guangdong coastal zone has generally decreased. The Cartesian heat map value of mangrove carbon storage is centered around Zhanjiang City, showing a spatial pattern of "higher in the west and lower in the central and east". Before 2000, the mangrove carbon storage of most cities was reduced, after which there was an overall increase in mangrove carbon storage. The changes of mangrove carbon storage in various cities along the Guangdong coastal zone can be divided into five types, with differing reasons for the changes in their carbon storage.