Recently, the Technical Code of Practice for Investigation and Assessment of Carbon Stock in Muddy Coastal Ecosystem (T/CAOE 84-2025), led by the SIO, was officially released and implemented. This technical code helps standardize and ensure the implementation of carbon stock investigation and assessment work in muddy coastal ecosystems, and is of great significance for improving China’s standard system for carbon stock investigation and assessment in coastal wetlands.

The muddy coast, as an ecosystem type in coastal intertidal zones dominated by clay and silt sediments, occupies a dominant position along China’s coastline. Compared with traditional blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass beds, there are still significant deficiencies in the carbon stock accounting methods, the research on carbon sink mechanisms and the establishment of technical code systems for muddy coasts. Muddy coastal ecosystems possess huge carbon stock and potential carbon sink capacities. Accurately assessing their carbon stock and formulating corresponding investigation and assessment technical codes are of important scientific and social benefits for China’s “dual carbon” strategy.

The research and compilation team from the Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics of the SIO, based on over a decade of research achievements in coastal wetland carbon cycling, introduced a remote sensing inundation frequency natural breaks classification method and constructed a zoning method for muddy coasts that aligns with the characteristics of China’s coastal wetlands. The team also stipulated the full-process technical requirements for carbon stock investigation content, sampling methods, laboratory analysis and data processing. Through pilot validation in typical muddy coastal ecosystems, the scientificity and applicability of the technical code have been significantly enhanced.

This technical code was jointly completed by the SIO in collaboration with the National Marine Hazard Mitigation Service of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Marine Academy of Zhejiang  Province, the Third Institute of Oceanography, Yuzhi Environmental Technology (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd., and Sun Yat-sen University, among other research institutes, universities and leading industry enterprises.