Drain blocking has limited short-term effects on greenhouse gas fluxes in a Molinia caerulea dominated shallow peatland

Gatis, Naomi; Luscombe, David J.; Benaud, Pia; Ashe, Josie; Grand-Clément, Emilie; Anderson, Karen; Hartley, Iain P.; Brazier, Richard E.

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2020.106079

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Similar to our site (Fig. 4 ), other vegetated drained blanket bogs have shown no significant effect of ditch blocking on CO 2 emissions which have been attributed to high spatial and temporal variability in fluxes observed 31 compared to the size of the restoration effect and a lack of vegetation change 32 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Peatland restoration increases water storage and attenuates downstream stormflow but does not guarantee an immediate reversal of long-term ecohydrological degradation

Gatis,

Benaud,

Anderson

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Peatland restoration is experiencing a global upsurge as a tool to protect and provide various ecosystem services. As the range of peatland types being restored diversifies, do previous findings present overly optimistic restoration expectations? In an eroding and restored upland peatland we assessed short-term (0–4 year) effects of restoration on ecohydrological functions. Restoration significantly reduced discharge from the site, transforming peat pans into pools. These retained surface water over half the time and were deeper during wet periods than before. In the surrounding haggs water tables stabilised, as drawdown during dry conditions reduced, increasing the saturated peat thickness. Despite these changes, there were no effects on photosynthesis, ecosystem respiration or dissolved organic carbon loads leaving the site. Soil respiration did not decrease as water tables rose, but methane emissions were higher from rewet pools. Restoration has had a dramatic effect on hydrology, however, consequent changes in other ecosystem functions were not measured in the 4 years after restoration. Whilst restoration is crucial in halting the expansion of degraded peatland areas, it is vital that practitioners and policymakers advocating for restoration are realistic about the expected outcomes and timescales over which these outcomes may manifest.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Peatland restoration increases water storage and attenuates downstream stormflow but does not guarantee an immediate reversal of long-term ecohydrological degradation

Gatis,

Benaud,

Anderson

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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“…It is therefore possible that the reason for our inability to model night-time respiration is that respiration in the gully systems and vegetated areas are subject to temporally divergent dynamics. Gatis et al (2019) reported, using chamber-based measurements over two growing seasons in an eroded blanket bog peatland, that both photosynthetic CO2 uptake and ecosystem respiration were lower in the eroded areas (peat pans) than in the vegetated areas (in their case, the hagged remnant areas of blanked bog surface). As the distribution of gullies within the footprint was relatively uniform amongst the prevalent wind directions, we were unable to partition the contribution of gullies versus vegetated areas akin to e.g., Pelletier et al (2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While direct C losses from eroding peatlands through particulate and dissolved organic carbon in fluvial and windborne erosion paths have understandably received much scientific attention, less is known about the direct gaseous emissions from these carbon dense ecosystems. Existing data on GHG emissions from eroded peatlands stem entirely from chamber-based studies (McNamara et al 2008;Clay et al 2011;Worrall et al 2011;Gatis et al 2019), which require careful inclusion of the many different components of erosion features in the landscape and upscaling. Without robust understanding of the current emissions from eroded peatland ecosystems, the cost effectiveness of restoration work through gully blocking, reprofiling and re-vegetation of bare areas cannot be determined, and neither can overall GHG abatement potential be estimated from such activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Net Carbon Dioxide Emission from An Eroding Atlantic Blanket Bog

Artz

Coyle

Donaldson-Selby

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The net impact of greenhouse gas emissions from degraded peatland environments on national Inventories and subsequent mitigation of such emissions has only been seriously considered within the last decade. Data on greenhouse gas emissions from special cases of peatland degradation, such as eroding peatlands, are particularly scarce. Here, we report the first eddy covariance-based monitoring of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from an eroding Atlantic blanket bog. The CO2 budget across the period July 2018 to November 2019 was 147 (+/- 9) g C m-2. For an annual budget that contained proportionally more of the extreme 2018 drought and heat wave, cumulative CO2 emissions were nearly double (191 g C m-2) of that of an annual period without drought (106 g C m-2), suggesting that direct CO2 emissions from eroded peatlands are at risk of increasing with projected changes in temperatures and precipitation due to global climate change. The results of this study are consistent with chamber-based and modelling studies that suggest degraded blanket bogs to be a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere, and provide baseline data against which to assess future peatland restoration efforts in this region.

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“…Just a few studies monitored CO 2 and CH 4 emissions consecutively over the first three years after rewetting (Renou- Wilson et al , 2018Waddington et al 2010;Waddington & Day 2007). Primary studies that measured carbon emissions in the 6th, 10th, and 30th year after rewetting (Gatis et al 2020;Strack & Zuback 2013;Vanselow-Algan et al 2015;Vybornova et al 2019) were placed under the ≥5-year label (Table 1) due to the small number of studies and data observations available.…”

Section: Primary Data Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of rewetting degraded peatlands on carbon fluxes: a meta-analysis

Darusman

Murdiyarso

Impron

et al. 2023

Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change

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Numerous studies claim that rewetting interventions reduce CO2 and increase CH4 fluxes. To verify the claim, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of rewetting on CO2 and CH4 fluxes and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). We identified 28 primary articles eligible for meta-analysis, from which we calculated 48 effect sizes for CO2 emissions, 67 effect sizes for CH4 emissions, and 5 effect sizes for DOC. We found that rewetting significantly decreased CO2 fluxes, with temperate zones showing the highest Hedges’ g effect size (−0.798 ± 0.229), followed by tropical (−0.338 ± 0.269) and boreal (−0.209 ± 0.372) zones. Meanwhile, rewetting increased CH4 fluxes, with the highest Hedges’ g effect size shown in temperate zones (1.108 ± 0.144), followed by boreal (0.805 ± 0.183) and tropical (0.096 ± 0.284) zones. In addition, based on yearly monitoring after rewetting, the CH4 emissions effect size increased significantly over the first 4 years (r2 = 0.853). Overall, the rewetting intervention reduced CO2 emissions by −1.43 ± 0.35 Mg CO2–C ha−1 year−1, increased CH4 emissions by 0.033 ± 0.003 Mg CH4–C ha−1 year−1, and had no significant impact on DOC. To improve the precision and reduce the bias of rewetting effect size quantification, it is recommended to conduct more experimental studies with extended monitoring periods using larger sample sizes and apply the before-after control-impact study design, especially in boreal and tropical climate zones.

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Drain blocking has limited short-term effects on greenhouse gas fluxes in a Molinia caerulea dominated shallow peatland

Cited by 5 publications

References 40 publications

Peatland restoration increases water storage and attenuates downstream stormflow but does not guarantee an immediate reversal of long-term ecohydrological degradation

Peatland restoration increases water storage and attenuates downstream stormflow but does not guarantee an immediate reversal of long-term ecohydrological degradation

Net Carbon Dioxide Emission from An Eroding Atlantic Blanket Bog

Effect of rewetting degraded peatlands on carbon fluxes: a meta-analysis

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