Research Article

Soil organic carbon stocks along depth profiles in mangrove and sago wetland forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia

Volume: 15 Number: 3 June 30, 2026
  • Obed Nedjo Lense *
  • Julius Dwi Nugroho
  • Mutakim Mutakim
  • Jimmy Frans Wanma
  • Francina Fanny Kesaulija
  • Marlon Arthur Huwae

Soil organic carbon stocks along depth profiles in mangrove and sago wetland forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia

Abstract

Wetland ecosystems are important natural carbon sinks, yet data on soil organic carbon (SOC) in eastern Indonesian wetlands are limited. This study quantified SOC stocks and their vertical distribution in mangrove and sago wetland forests in Southwest Papua, Indonesia. Using a nested sampling design, soil cores were collected from 11 mangrove sites to a depth of 300 cm and from 11 sago forest sites to a depth of 50 cm. SOC content was determined by using the loss-on-ignition method and combined with bulk density to estimate SOC stocks by depth. Across the full soil profile, mangrove stored more SOC (mean 702.38 Mg C ha⁻¹) than sago forests (average 338.74 Mg C ha⁻¹), mainly because of their deeper organic soil layers. In both ecosystems, SOC declined with depth, but deeper soil layers still contributed substantially to total carbon stock in mangroves. Regression analysis showed that SOC stock decreased with depth, while higher canopy cover corresponded to greater SOC stocks. These findings show that sampling depth strongly affects cross-ecosystem comparisons and confirm that Southwest Papua’s wetland forests are significant carbon stores. The study provides baseline data for an understudied region, supporting the conservation of mangrove and sago wetlands for climate regulation and carbon sequestration.

Keywords

Thanks

This research received no specific external funding. The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Environment, Forestry, and Land Agency (DLHKP) of Southwest Papua and the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation (YKAN). We also thank the Protected Forest Management Unit (KPHL) and Production Forest Management Unit (KPHP) of South Sorong for their support in field data collection.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Soil Sciences and Plant Nutrition (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Obed Nedjo Lense * This is me
0000-0002-1478-9167
Indonesia

Julius Dwi Nugroho This is me
0009-0007-2389-5846
Indonesia

Mutakim Mutakim This is me
0009-0002-2313-117X
Indonesia

Jimmy Frans Wanma This is me
0000-0002-3450-5352
Indonesia

Francina Fanny Kesaulija This is me
0000-0002-3779-2019
Indonesia

Marlon Arthur Huwae This is me
0000-0001-8241-0510
Indonesia

Publication Date

June 30, 2026

Submission Date

December 24, 2025

Acceptance Date

April 20, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 15 Number: 3

APA
Lense, O. N., Nugroho, J. D., Mutakim, M., Wanma, J. F., Kesaulija, F. F., & Huwae, M. A. (2026). Soil organic carbon stocks along depth profiles in mangrove and sago wetland forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science, 15(3), 398-410. https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.1944643
AMA
1.Lense ON, Nugroho JD, Mutakim M, Wanma JF, Kesaulija FF, Huwae MA. Soil organic carbon stocks along depth profiles in mangrove and sago wetland forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia. EJSS. 2026;15(3):398-410. doi:10.18393/ejss.1944643
Chicago
Lense, Obed Nedjo, Julius Dwi Nugroho, Mutakim Mutakim, Jimmy Frans Wanma, Francina Fanny Kesaulija, and Marlon Arthur Huwae. 2026. “Soil Organic Carbon Stocks Along Depth Profiles in Mangrove and Sago Wetland Forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia”. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 15 (3): 398-410. https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.1944643.
EndNote
Lense ON, Nugroho JD, Mutakim M, Wanma JF, Kesaulija FF, Huwae MA (June 1, 2026) Soil organic carbon stocks along depth profiles in mangrove and sago wetland forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 15 3 398–410.
IEEE
[1]O. N. Lense, J. D. Nugroho, M. Mutakim, J. F. Wanma, F. F. Kesaulija, and M. A. Huwae, “Soil organic carbon stocks along depth profiles in mangrove and sago wetland forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia”, EJSS, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 398–410, June 2026, doi: 10.18393/ejss.1944643.
ISNAD
Lense, Obed Nedjo - Nugroho, Julius Dwi - Mutakim, Mutakim - Wanma, Jimmy Frans - Kesaulija, Francina Fanny - Huwae, Marlon Arthur. “Soil Organic Carbon Stocks Along Depth Profiles in Mangrove and Sago Wetland Forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia”. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 15/3 (June 1, 2026): 398-410. https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.1944643.
JAMA
1.Lense ON, Nugroho JD, Mutakim M, Wanma JF, Kesaulija FF, Huwae MA. Soil organic carbon stocks along depth profiles in mangrove and sago wetland forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia. EJSS. 2026;15:398–410.
MLA
Lense, Obed Nedjo, et al. “Soil Organic Carbon Stocks Along Depth Profiles in Mangrove and Sago Wetland Forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia”. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science, vol. 15, no. 3, June 2026, pp. 398-10, doi:10.18393/ejss.1944643.
Vancouver
1.Obed Nedjo Lense, Julius Dwi Nugroho, Mutakim Mutakim, Jimmy Frans Wanma, Francina Fanny Kesaulija, Marlon Arthur Huwae. Soil organic carbon stocks along depth profiles in mangrove and sago wetland forests of Southwest Papua, Indonesia. EJSS. 2026 Jun. 1;15(3):398-410. doi:10.18393/ejss.1944643