On a per hectare basis which of the following forests will hold maximum amount of carbon?
- APeninsular Sal forest as found in West Medinipur district
- BTropical moist deciduous forest as found in Buxa Tiger Reserve
- CMangrove forest as found in Sunderbans
- DEvergreen Temperate forest as found in Lava area of Kalimpong
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
Mangrove forests (like the Sunderbans) are highly efficient "blue carbon" sinks. On a per-hectare basis, coastal mangrove ecosystems store up to three to four times more carbon than typical terrestrial tropical rainforests or temperate deciduous forests.
While terrestrial forests store most of their carbon in above-ground biomass, mangroves sequestrate immense volumes of organic carbon in their deep, anaerobic waterlogged soil/sediment structures where decomposition is incredibly slow.
While terrestrial forests store most of their carbon in above-ground biomass, mangroves sequestrate immense volumes of organic carbon in their deep, anaerobic waterlogged soil/sediment structures where decomposition is incredibly slow.