Surficial Soil Organic Carbon Storage Across 438 British Saltmarshes

2026 data maps organic carbon storage and stocks in the top 10 cm of soil across 451.65 square kilometers of saltmarshes in Great Britain. The spatial dataset was produced by the NERC C-SIDE project, combining soil bulk density and carbon data with existing vegetation maps.

Use Cases

• Model spatial distribution of organic carbon storage (kg OC m-2) across 438 saltmarsh sites for carbon sequestration assessment.
• Analyze the relationship between surficial soil OC stocks (tonnes OC) and saltmarsh vegetation types from combined maps.
• Estimate total carbon stocks within the 451.65 km2 mapped area to support blue carbon inventory reporting.
• Compare OC density values across the constituent countries of Scotland, England, and Wales for regional analysis.

Strengths

• Covers a substantial 451.65 square kilometers of saltmarsh habitat.
• Provides data for 438 distinct saltmarsh sites across Great Britain.
• Integrates field-measured soil bulk density and carbon data from the NERC C-SIDE project.

Limitations

• Data is limited to the surficial soil layer (top 10 cm), excluding deeper carbon pools.
• Spatial resolution and accuracy depend on the underlying saltmarsh and vegetation map sources.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre, produced under the NERC Carbon Storage in Intertidal Environments (C-SIDE) programme.

Collection Method

Spatial mapping combining NERC C-Side project and Marine Scotland soil data with existing saltmarsh vegetation maps.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Great Britain, covering saltmarshes in Scotland, England, and Wales.