Infilled Ditches are Hotspots of Landscape Methane Flux Following Peatland Re-wetting

Cooper, Mark; Evans, C. D.; Zieliński, Piotr; Levy, Peter E.; Gray, Alan; Peacock, Mike; Norris, David A.; Fenner, Nathalie; Freeman, Christopher

doi:10.1007/s10021-014-9791-3

Cited by 63 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Thus both the type of site restoration and the resulting plant community seem likely to determine CH4 emissions from ditches in re-wetted landscapes. The IPCC Wetland Supplement (IPCC, 2014) did not provide guidance to account for ditch emissions in re-wetted peatlands, but our analysis suggests that this emission may continue to exceed that from the re-wetted peat mass itself, potentially leading to higher overall CH4 emissions (at least temporarily following re-wetting) than would have occurred before the site was drained (Cooper et al, 2014).…”

Section: On-site Methane Emissions From Ditchesmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Similarly, over half of all measured values were derived from drained low-and high-intensity grasslands (mostly from the Netherlands), although forestry-drained peatlands and extraction sites were also reasonably well-represented (12 and 10 sites respectively). In contrast, only three values were obtained from drained mires (two from Cooper et al, 2014 and one from Huotari et al, 2014) and three from tropical peatlands (all from Jauhianen and Silvennoinen, 2012). Data from drained mires and forests were merged in the analysis, but tropical peatlands were retained as a separate category despite the small number of data points.…”

Section: On-site Methane Emissions From Ditchesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…At a set of Dutch sites returned to semi-natural reed and sedge fen, Vermaat et al (2011) measured lower CH4 emissions from ditches compared to sites under grassland. On the other hand Waddington and Day (2007) measured higher (albeit highly variable) CH4 emissions from ditches in a re-wetted peat extraction site compared to an adjacent cutover area, and Cooper et al (2014) measured very high emissions from an infilled ditch on blanket bog recolonised by Eriophorum vaginatum, but comparatively low fluxes from areas remaining under bare peat or colonised by Sphagnum. Thus both the type of site restoration and the resulting plant community seem likely to determine CH4 emissions from ditches in re-wetted landscapes.…”

Section: On-site Methane Emissions From Ditchesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of waterborne carbon in the greenhouse gas balance of drained and re-wetted peatlands

2015

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Article (refereed) -postprintEvans, Chris D.; Renou-Wilson, Flo; Strack, Maria. 2016. The role of waterborne carbon in the greenhouse gas balance of drained and rewetted peatlands [in special issue: Carbon cycling in aquatic ecosystems] Aquatic Sciences, 78 (3). 573-590. 10.1007/s00027-015-0447-y Contact CEH NORA team at noraceh@ceh.ac.ukThe NERC and CEH trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner.The role of waterborne carbon in the greenhouse gas balance of drained and re-wetted peatlands AbstractAccounting for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals in managed ecosystems has generally focused on direct land-atmosphere fluxes, but in peatlands a significant proportion of total carbon loss occurs via fluvial transport. This study considers the composition of this 'waterborne carbon' flux, its potential contribution to GHG emissions, and the extent to which it may change in response to land-management. The work describes, and builds on, a methodology to account for major components of these emissions developed for the 2013 Wetland Supplement of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We identify two major components of GHG emissions from waterbodies draining organic soil: i) 'on site' emissions of methane (and to a lesser extent CO2) from drainage ditches located within the peatland; and ii) 'off site' emissions of CO2 resulting from downstream oxidation of dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC) within the aquatic system. Methane emissions from ditches were found to be large in many cases (mean 60 g CH4 m -2 yr -1 based on all reported values), countering the view that methane emissions cease following wetland drainage. Emissions were greatest from ditches in intensive agricultural peatlands, but data were sparse and showed high variability. For DOC, the magnitude of the natural flux varied strongly with latitude, from 5 g C m -2 yr -1 in northern boreal peatlands to 60 g C m -2 yr -1 in tropical peatlands. Available data suggest that DOC fluxes increase by around 60% following drainage, and that this increase may be reversed in the longer-term through re-wetting, although variability between studies was high, especially in relation to re-wetting response. Evidence regarding the fate of DOC is complex and inconclusive, but overall suggests that the majority of DOC exported from peatlands is converted to CO2 through photo-and/or bio-degradation in rivers, standing waters and oceans. The contribution of POC export to GHG emissions is even more uncertain, but we estimate that over half of exported POC may eventually be converted to CO2. Although POC fluxes are normally small, they can become very large when bare peat surfaces are exposed to fluvial erosion. Overall, we estimate that waterborne carbon emissions may contribute about 1 to 4 t CO2-eq ha -1 yr -1 of additional GHG emissions from drained peatlands. For a number of worked examples this repres...

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Section: On-site Methane Emissions From Ditchesmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: On-site Methane Emissions From Ditchesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: On-site Methane Emissions From Ditchesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of waterborne carbon in the greenhouse gas balance of drained and re-wetted peatlands

2015

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“…Rewetting of drained peat soils as climate change mitigation measure presents a new challenge (Erwin, 2009;Couwenberg, 2009): in Germany, a potential reduction of 35 million tons CO 2 equivalent per year is possible through peatland restoration, which is a cost-effective mitigation strategy (Joosten, 2006;Drösler et al, 2009;Freibauer et al, 2009). However, rewetting of peatlands leads to increased methane emissions by both reduced methane oxidation and increased methane production Tuittila et al, 2000;Waddington and Day, 2007;Wilson et al, 2009;Cooper et al, 2014). Flooding of peat soils for restoration should be avoided as inundation leads to huge CH 4 emissions especially if fresh plant litter is available (Augustin and Joosten, 2007;Drösler et al, 2008;Hahn-Schöfl et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High methane emissions dominated annual greenhouse gas balances 30 years after bog rewetting

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Natural peatlands are important carbon sinks and sources of methane (CH 4 ). In contrast, drained peatlands turn from a carbon sink to a carbon source and potentially emit nitrous oxide (N 2 O). Rewetting of peatlands thus potentially implies climate change mitigation. However, data about the time span that is needed for the re-establishment of the carbon sink function by restoration are scarce. We therefore investigated the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) balances of three differently vegetated sites of a bog ecosystem 30 years after rewetting. All three vegetation communities turned out to be sources of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) ranging between 0.6 ± 1.43 t CO 2 ha −2 yr −1 (Sphagnum-dominated vegetation) and 3.09 ± 3.86 t CO 2 ha −2 yr −1 (vegetation dominated by heath). While accounting for the different global warming potential (GWP) of CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O, the annual GHG balance was calculated. Emissions ranged between 25 and 53 t CO 2 -eq ha −1 yr −1 and were dominated by large emissions of CH 4 (22-51 t CO 2 -eq ha −1 yr −1 ), with highest rates found at purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea) stands. These are to our knowledge the highest CH 4 emissions so far reported for bog ecosystems in temperate Europe. As the restored area was subject to large fluctuations in the water table, we assume that the high CH 4 emission rates were caused by a combination of both the temporal inundation of the easily decomposable plant litter of purple moor grass and the plant-mediated transport through its tissues. In addition, as a result of the land use history, mixed soil material due to peat extraction and refilling can serve as an explanation. With regards to the long time span passed since rewetting, we note that the initial increase in CH 4 emissions due to rewetting as described in the literature is not inevitably limited to a shortterm period.

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“…High water table could be expected to decrease decomposition by decreasing the depth of aerobic layer. If rewetting ceases the high CO2 emissions from old peat measured in drained sites (Ojanen et al 2013), significant carbon benefits are expected -but only if the decreased CO2 emissions are not counteracted by increased CH4 emissions from the blocked ditches and other new wet habitats (Cooper et al 2014, Koskinen et al 2012. Spruce swamp forests rewetted as buffer zones for runoff waters have functioned as efficient sinks for dissolved organic matter (Nieminen et al 2005b) and, after more than six years after rewetting, for phosphorus (Väänänen et al 2008) and nitrogen (Vikman et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of ecosystem structure and function in boreal spruce swamp forests

Maanavilja¹

2015

Diss. For.

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To be presented, with the permission of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry of the University of Helsinki, for public criticism in lecture room B2, B-building (Viikki Campus, Latokartanonkaari 7, Helsinki) on May 8 th 2015, at 12 o'clock noon. Drainage to increase timber production has drastically decreased the area of undrained spruce swamp forests in northern Europe. In restoration by rewetting, drainage ditches are blocked to restore the original hydrology and, ultimately, the structure, function and ecosystem services of undrained boreal spruce swamp forests. This study quantifies the restoration success of rewetting regarding plant community composition, moss community carbon assimilation potential, Sphagnum biomass production and surface peat biogeochemistry, and aims to determine the main controls of success. The study sites comprised 18 rewetted, nine undrained and nine drained spruce swamp forests in southern Finland, complemented by sites in the Šumava Mountains, Czech Republic. Drainage had taken place decades prior; the rewetted sites varied in their rewetting age from 1 to 15 years. The results show that rewetting has to raise the water table above a threshold to initiate any changes in the drained ecosystem. If the threshold is crossed, the changes that occur will be rapid. Two strands of development emerged throughout the different components of the ecosystem: development towards the undrained reference state and development towards a new direction, different from both the undrained and the drained state. Rewetting created favourable conditions for Sphagnum photosynthesis. Sphagnum mosses recovered in cover and biomass production rapidly. The new growth started the accumulation of the porous surface organic matter layer characteristic of mires, which increased microbial decomposition activity in the surface organic layer towards undrained levels. Meanwhile, rewetting applied on the compacted, physicochemically altered peat created wet, unstable hydrological conditions, which increased the cover of opportunistic plant species in the understory and caused high NH4 mobilization and CH4 production in the surface organic layer. Demanding spruce swamp forest species were lacking at the rewetted sites, but rewetting was successful in restoring the common species and directing the ecosystem towards mire-like functioning.Keywords: peatland forest, vegetation, Sphagnum, moss photosynthesis, biomass production, biogeochemistry 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis thesis is a result of the efforts of the many people who gave their time and expertise to the research project. Thank you for accompanying me on this venture. First, I want to express my gratitude to my supervisor Eeva-Stiina Tuittila. Thank you for your insightful thinking and persistent support. To my co-authors, thank you for your contribution. It has been a privilege to work with so many intelligent, creative and generous people. Your knowledge, skills and enthusiasm, be it in peatland restoration, plant ecophysiology, statistics or soil biogeochemistry, ...

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Infilled Ditches are Hotspots of Landscape Methane Flux Following Peatland Re-wetting

Cited by 63 publications

References 39 publications

The role of waterborne carbon in the greenhouse gas balance of drained and re-wetted peatlands

The role of waterborne carbon in the greenhouse gas balance of drained and re-wetted peatlands

High methane emissions dominated annual greenhouse gas balances 30 years after bog rewetting

Restoration of ecosystem structure and function in boreal spruce swamp forests

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