Impacts of salinization caused by sea level rise on the biological processes of coastal soils - A review

Soil salinization caused by sea level rise threatens coastal agricultural soils and geochemically important wetlands worldwide. The aim of this review is to outline expected changes in soil biological activity by discussing the combined effects of salt stress and flooding on plants productivity and...

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Main Authors: Sadat Mazhar, Elisa Pellegrini, Marco Contin, Carlo Bravo, Maria De Nobili
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Environmental Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.909415/full
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author Sadat Mazhar
Elisa Pellegrini
Marco Contin
Carlo Bravo
Maria De Nobili
author_facet Sadat Mazhar
Elisa Pellegrini
Marco Contin
Carlo Bravo
Maria De Nobili
author_sort Sadat Mazhar
collection DOAJ
description Soil salinization caused by sea level rise threatens coastal agricultural soils and geochemically important wetlands worldwide. The aim of this review is to outline expected changes in soil biological activity by discussing the combined effects of salt stress and flooding on plants productivity and soil microbial communities, which determine consequences on fluxes of C, N and P. Finally, it outlines the expected repercussions on greenhouse gases emissions. The prediction of outcomes is made difficult by the concomitant and sometimes contrasting actions of flooding and seawater intrusion on partly acclimated and non-acclimated environments. Non-salt acclimated plants suffer from osmotic stress, but also from reduced O2 solubility. Microbial biomass declines with increasing salinity and microbial communities shift in composition. Large concentrations of Cl− inhibit nitrification, but salinity stimulates N2O fluxes. Impacts on C mineralisation rates is variable but enhanced by the larger availability of terminal electron acceptors. The reduction of Fe combined with that of SO42− could enhance P mobility. Salinization affects methanogenesis which is constrained in favour of SO42− reduction. Consequences are largely site specific and difficult to predict because of the complex network of processes occurring simultaneously in different compartments (i.e., soil, microbiome, vegetation). The distinction between short and long term effects is also important. A reliable prediction of outcomes at a planetary scale will only result from more precise inventories and monitoring of areas displaying specific similarities and from the implementation from these well-defined data sets of specifically devised models whose results can be finally combined on a weighted basis.
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spelling doaj.art-89c84dcfdac44a27b674f53f46f81ad22022-12-22T03:41:23ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2022-08-011010.3389/fenvs.2022.909415909415Impacts of salinization caused by sea level rise on the biological processes of coastal soils - A reviewSadat MazharElisa PellegriniMarco ContinCarlo BravoMaria De NobiliSoil salinization caused by sea level rise threatens coastal agricultural soils and geochemically important wetlands worldwide. The aim of this review is to outline expected changes in soil biological activity by discussing the combined effects of salt stress and flooding on plants productivity and soil microbial communities, which determine consequences on fluxes of C, N and P. Finally, it outlines the expected repercussions on greenhouse gases emissions. The prediction of outcomes is made difficult by the concomitant and sometimes contrasting actions of flooding and seawater intrusion on partly acclimated and non-acclimated environments. Non-salt acclimated plants suffer from osmotic stress, but also from reduced O2 solubility. Microbial biomass declines with increasing salinity and microbial communities shift in composition. Large concentrations of Cl− inhibit nitrification, but salinity stimulates N2O fluxes. Impacts on C mineralisation rates is variable but enhanced by the larger availability of terminal electron acceptors. The reduction of Fe combined with that of SO42− could enhance P mobility. Salinization affects methanogenesis which is constrained in favour of SO42− reduction. Consequences are largely site specific and difficult to predict because of the complex network of processes occurring simultaneously in different compartments (i.e., soil, microbiome, vegetation). The distinction between short and long term effects is also important. A reliable prediction of outcomes at a planetary scale will only result from more precise inventories and monitoring of areas displaying specific similarities and from the implementation from these well-defined data sets of specifically devised models whose results can be finally combined on a weighted basis.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.909415/fullsalinizationsee level risewetlandsGHGcoastal soils
spellingShingle Sadat Mazhar
Elisa Pellegrini
Marco Contin
Carlo Bravo
Maria De Nobili
Impacts of salinization caused by sea level rise on the biological processes of coastal soils - A review
Frontiers in Environmental Science
salinization
see level rise
wetlands
GHG
coastal soils
title Impacts of salinization caused by sea level rise on the biological processes of coastal soils - A review
title_full Impacts of salinization caused by sea level rise on the biological processes of coastal soils - A review
title_fullStr Impacts of salinization caused by sea level rise on the biological processes of coastal soils - A review
title_full_unstemmed Impacts of salinization caused by sea level rise on the biological processes of coastal soils - A review
title_short Impacts of salinization caused by sea level rise on the biological processes of coastal soils - A review
title_sort impacts of salinization caused by sea level rise on the biological processes of coastal soils a review
topic salinization
see level rise
wetlands
GHG
coastal soils
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.909415/full
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