Restoration of former wetlands in the Netherlands; effect on the balance between CO₂ sink and CH₄ source

Abstract

Drained coastal peatlands are a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) through abundant C0 2 release caused by aerobic peat degradation. Published rates of C0 2 fixation and CH 4 release for natural peatlands suggest that areas of peat formation are a (small) net source of GHG emission because the radiative effect of emitted CH 4 exceeds the C0 2 uptake by the vegetation. It is shown here that wetland restoration of reclaimed peat areas in the western Netherlands leads to a reduction of GHG emission because the expected increase in anaerobically generated CH 4 release is much smaller than the decrease in aerobically produced C0 2 .

Plant Species Composition Can Be Used as a Proxy to Predict Methane Emissions in Peatland Ecosystems After Land-Use Changes

“…The return of agricultural peatlands into wet, semi-natural ecosystems, has been suggested as a measure to increase C sequestration (Aerts 2000), but the underlying increase in CH 4 emission and the consequences for the GHG balance remains poorly documented. Studies comparing CH 4 emissions under different land-use scenarios often compare data from distant areas (Langeveld and others 1997;Van den Bos 2003). The land-use gradient studied here presented a wide range of methane emissions.…”

Effects of land use on greenhouse gas fluxes and soil properties of wetland catchments in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America

“…Precipitation and associated runoff can cause abrupt changes in WFPS and water levels of cropland catchments compared to grassland catchments (Euliss and Mushet, 1996;van der kamp et al, 2003;Gleason et al, 2009), and the margins of wetlands can be associated with rapidly changing redox conditions as water levels fluctuate. Additionally, the relatively low wetland zone WFPS values of drained cropland catchments often were in the ranges optimal for N 2 O fluxes, and this likely contributed to the relatively high fluxes of cropland catchments.…”

“…OC sequestration (Whiting and Chanton, 2001;van den Bos, 2003;Bridgham et al, 2006;Mitsch et al, 2013). Similarly, wetland catchments, especially those in croplands, have the potential to emit nitrous oxide (N 2 O), a powerful GHG which can be produced at high levels following application of nitrogen-based fertilizers (Bremner and Blackmer, 1978;Eichner, 1990;Merbach et al, 2002;Venterea et al, 2005;Liu and Greaver, 2009).…”

“…These abiotic and biotic factors are linked to weather and climate, groundwater interactions (e.g., recharge, discharge), and geomorphology, and can vary by landscape positions which span the wetland to upland transitional gradient. Land use also can have considerable effects on these factors (Euliss and Mushet, 1996;Gleason and Euliss, 1998;van der kamp et al, 2003;Gleason et al, 2009;Liu and Greaver, 2009;Kumar et al, 2014;Serrano-Silva et al, 2014).…”

“…For example, water depths and hydroperiods of PPR wetlands are highly dependent on runoff from spring snowmelt and summertime precipitation and evapotranspiration. Further, surface runoff, sedimentation, catchment vegetation composition, and soil chemistry and physical properties (e.g., bulk density) can be greatly influenced by land use (Martin and Hartman, 1987;Euliss and Mushet, 1996;Gleason and Euliss, 1998;van der Kamp et al, 2003;Gleason et al, 2009). Moreover, land-use practices can have opposing effects on the production or consumption of GHGs such as CH 4 and N 2 O.…”