Recently, based on over a decade of in-situ monitoring in Poyang Lake, the research team led by Professor Lan Wu from the School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, published a research paper entitled "Decadal dynamics of wetland soil carbon driven by hydrological variability" in Journal of Hydrology (a CAS Category 1 Top journal, Impact Factor: 6.4), an international authoritative journal in the field of hydrology and water resources. This study systematically reveals the dominant role of hydrological changes in regulating the dynamics of wetland soil organic carbon and identifies the key mechanisms behind this process.

As China’s largest freshwater lake and an internationally important wetland, the ecological health of Poyang Lake is directly related to the ecological security of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin. In recent years, under the dual pressures of climate change and human activities, the natural hydrological rhythm of Poyang Lake has undergone significant alterations. However, there is a lack of sufficient in-situ observational evidence regarding how hydrological changes affect the soil carbon pools of natural wetlands over the long term.

This study provides solid long-term empirical evidence for the first time in natural wetland ecosystems: hydrological conditions are the primary driving factor regulating the dynamics of soil organic carbon. The research found that hydrological changes, such as shortened inundation duration, intensified water level fluctuations, and increased soil aridity, significantly accelerated the loss of wetland soil carbon. This process is mediated indirectly through the "plant–microbe" coupling pathway, where microbial carbon use efficiency and oxidase activity serve as key intermediary factors linking hydrological disturbances to carbon cycle responses. Furthermore, the study identified mid-elevation areas as "hotspots" for carbon loss, which are highly sensitive to hydrological changes—even minor hydrological disturbances can trigger significant carbon emissions.

These findings not only deepens the understanding of the interaction mechanisms among hydrology, biology, and carbon in wetlands but also provides scientific support for the management of Poyang Lake Wetland. The research emphasizes that maintaining appropriate hydrological conditions should be the core strategy for wetland protection and restoration. For carbon-sensitive areas, it is urgent to strengthen the guarantee of hydrological connectivity and ecological restoration, and promote a partitioned, classified, and precision-based protection model. Future wetland restoration projects should also focus on the synergistic optimization of aboveground vegetation reconstruction and underground microbial functions to effectively promote soil carbon accumulation and long-term stability.

Original article link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.134919