Articles | Volume 23, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4843-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4843-2026
Research article
 | 
14 Jul 2026
Research article |  | 14 Jul 2026

Root turnover and soil indicators capture belowground recovery following saltmarsh restoration

Sabrina K. B. Olsson, Anirban Akhand, Peter I. Macreadie, Joeri Kaal, Siegmund Nuyts, Paul E. Carnell, and Stacey M. Trevathan-Tackett

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Cited articles

Adame, M., Zakaria, R., Fry, B., Chong, V., Then, Y., Brown, C., and Lee, S.: Loss and recovery of carbon and nitrogen after mangrove clearing, Ocean Coast. Manage., 161, 117–126, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2018.04.019, 2018. 
Arnaud, M., Bakhos, M., Rumpel, C., Dignac, M.-F., Bottinelli, N., Norby, R. J., Geairon, P., Deborde, J., Kostyrka, P., and Gernigon, J.: Salt marsh litter decomposition varies more by litter type than by extent of sea-level inundation, Commun. Earth Environ., 5, 686, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01855-0, 2024. 
Bayraktarov, E., Brisbane, S., Hagger, V., Smith, C. S., Wilson, K. A., Lovelock, C. E., Gillies, C., Steven, A. D., and Saunders, M. I.: Priorities and motivations of marine coastal restoration research, Front. Mar. Sci., 7, 484, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00484, 2020. 
Benjamin, A., Benedicte, D., Chaumillon, E., Rumpel, C., Dignac, M. F., Felbacq, A., Schmidt, S., Destampes, M., Arnaud, M., Metzger, E., Lacoue-Labarthe, T., and Dupuy, C.: Organic carbon composition and preservation in macrotidal coastal wetland sediment: insights from biomarkers and isotopic signatures, Sci. Total Environ., 1020, 181542, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181542, 2026. 
Brooks, H., Moeller, I., Spencer, T., Royse, K., Price, S., and Kirkham, M.: How strong are salt marshes? Geotechnical properties of coastal wetland soils, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 47, 1390–1408, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5322, 2022. 
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The recovery of saltmarsh ecosystems after restoration is poorly understood. We studied saltmarsh soils in Victoria, Australia, 25 years after fencing was installed to exclude livestock. Fenced and natural areas had more plant cover, softer soils and more organic carbon in the surface soils than grazed areas. Our results show that assessing restoration outcomes should go beyond measuring carbon stocks alone.
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