Dataset: Sediment depth and accretion shape belowground mangrove carbon stocks across a range of climatic and geologic settings.

We assessed the limits of mangrove sedimentary carbon storage by sampling sediments in diverse mangrove environments across four geographic areas: the volcanic Galapagos, the arid Baja Peninsula, and the geologically and climatically distinct Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Panama. At 80 sites across these areas, we quantified the organic carbon density, sampled with depth, of entire sediment columns. Most sites were cored in several locations, generally across an intertidal transect. Sediment depth, bulk density, and organic carbon density were measured with depth in each core. Some cores also had one or more sample depth radiocarbon dated, allowing for estimates of long-term accretion rates. Depth-integrated carbon stocks are highly variable, from < 17 to > 1700 MgCorg ha-1.