Carbon stock and δ 13 C data of sediment samples collected from a tropical seagrass meadow in Malaysia

Abstract

Seagrass ecosystems are considered as major blue carbon sinks, thus contributing directly to the mitigation of climate change by storing carbon in their habitats. However, empirical data for carbon stocks in Malaysia seagrass meadow sediment remain unreported in a standardised format. This paper presents data on organic (OC) and inorganic carbon (IC) stocks, and stable isotope signatures of carbon (δ 13 C) in bulk seagrass sediments collected from Sungai Pulai estuary (Johor, Malaysia). Within this estuary, seagrasses form shoals at Tanjung Adang and Merambong. Organic carbon and δ 13 C values in bulk sediment were analysed by an elemental analyser and a continuous flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometer, respectively, while sediment IC data was derived from loss-on-ignition calculations of sample mass differences. The data from these samples are presented as downcore profile of OC (values range at 0.14% to 2.49%), IC (0.16% to 5.29%), δ 13 C values of organic matter (- 27.9 to -20.4), and cumulative carbon stocks (1.03-3.39 kg OC m -2 and 0.76-2.84 kg IC m -2 ) in the top 30 cm of sediments. This dataset is applicable for regional and local blue carbon studies, which would allow insights into carbon sink and carbon cycling capacity, in addition to gaining insights into the provenances of carbon stored in seagrass meadows.