An Improved Method for Estimating Blue Carbon Storage in Coastal Salt Marsh Wetlands: Considering the Heterogeneity of Soil Thickness

Coastal wetlands are vital ecosystems at the land–sea interface. They intercept land-based pollutants, regulate microclimates, and mediate carbon cycles. They play a significant role in enhancing carbon sequestration capacity and maintaining ecological structure and functioning. This study proposes an improved method for estimating blue carbon storage in coastal salt marsh wetlands, considering soil thickness, by utilizing an enhanced Soil Land Inference Model (SoLIM) to estimate soil thickness in coastal wetlands with a restricted number of sample points. The wetland soil thickness index is integrated into the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) blue carbon storage estimation model, ultimately enabling the estimation and visualization of blue carbon storage in the Liaohe Estuary coastal wetland. Results indicate the following: (1) The studied area’s soil thickness shows a spatial distribution pattern that becomes progressively thinner from north to south. Soil thickness is more significant in the salt marsh vegetation areas and more minor in the coastal tidal flat areas, with 52% of the region having soil thickness between 40 and 60 cm. (2) In 2023, the blue carbon stock in the study area is estimated at 389.85 × 10⁶ t, with high-value areas concentrated in the northern natural landscapes, and low-value areas in the southern coastal zone, characterized by flat terrain and human influence. The coupled soil thickness–blue carbon storage estimation model provides methodological support for refining the estimation of blue carbon storage in coastal wetlands. It also offers technical support for formulating policies on the ecological restoration, compensation, protection, and management of coastal wetlands.