evidence: This diagram illustrates the mechanisms by which carbon moves into and out of coastal wetlands: (1) Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is taken in by trees and plants during the process of photosynthesis. This is called sequestration. (2) Dead leaves, branches, and roots containing carbon are buried in the soil, which is frequently, if not always, covered with tidal waters. This oxygen-poor environment causes very slow breakdown of the plant materials, resulting in significant carbon storage. (3) A small amount of carbon is lost back to the atmosphere through respiration, while the rest is stored in the leaves, branches, and roots of the plants. This diagram is adapted from a figure in Sutton-Grier et al. 2014 Marine Policy [...] Once carbon is in the soil some of it is respired by microbes and returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. However, some of the carbon stays stored in the soils, often for hundreds or even thousands of years, buried deep underground.