Spatial Variation in Organic Carbon Density of Mangrove Soil in Indian Sundarbans

Soils from intertidal mudflats of mangrove dominated Indian Sundarbans were analyzed for soil organic carbon, bulk density and organic carbon density during 2009 in two different sectors: western and eastern. Samplings were carried out at 12 stations in four different depths (0.01-0.10, 0.10-0.20, 0.20-0.30 and 0.30-0.40 m) through three seasons (pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon). High organic carbon density is observed in the stations of western Indian Sundarbans, which is relatively close to the highly urbanized city of Kolkata, Howrah and the newly emerging Haldia port-cum-industrial complex. The mangrove forest in the eastern Indian Sundarbans exhibits comparatively lower organic carbon density. Anthropogenic activities are almost negligible in this sector because of its location almost within the protected forest area. The bulk density of the mangrove soil increased with depth, while organic carbon and carbon density decreased with depth almost in all the stations. We observed significant spatial variations in soil organic carbon and organic carbon density in the study area.