Biogeosciences
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Articles | Volume 22, issue 2
Articles | Volume 22, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-435-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-435-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 22, issue 2
Research article
 | 
24 Jan 2025
Research article |  | 24 Jan 2025

Decomposing the Tea Bag Index and finding slower organic matter loss rates at higher elevations and deeper soil horizons in a minerogenic salt marsh

Satyatejas G. Reddy, W. Reilly Farrell, Fengrun Wu, Steven C. Pennings, Jonathan Sanderman, Meagan Eagle, Christopher Craft, and Amanda C. Spivak

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Latest update: 31 Oct 2025
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Short summary
Organic matter decay in salt marsh soils is not well understood. We used the Tea Bag Index, a standardized litter approach, to test how decay changes with soil depth, elevation, and time. The index overestimated decay, but one component, rooibos tea, produced comparable rates to natural litter. We found that decay was higher at shallower depths and lower marsh elevations, suggesting that hydrological setting may be a particularly important control on organic matter loss.
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