Peacock, Michael and Gauci, V and Baird, A.J and Burden, A and Chapman, P.J and Cumming, A and Evans, J.G and Grayson, R.P and Holden, J and Kaduk, J and Morrison, R and Page, S and Pan, G and Ridley, L.M and Williamson, J and Worrall, F and Evans, C.D
(2019).
The full carbon balance of a rewetted cropland fen and a conservation-managed fen.
Agriculture, ecosystems & environment. 269
, 1-12
[Journal article]
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- Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. 2MB |
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.09.020
Abstract
On a global scale, the release of greenhouse gases (GHG) from peatland drainage and cultivation are believed toaccount for ∼5% of estimated anthropogenic GHG emissions. Drainage generally leads to peat subsidence andextensive soil loss, resulting in a diminishing store of soil carbon (C). This is a challenge for maintaining drai-nage-based agriculture, as such practices will eventually lead to the loss of organic soils that arable cultivationdepends on. The conversion of croplands on peat to semi-natural grasslands, alongside raising water tables, isone possible way to reduce the loss of these valuable C stores. Here, we report the net ecosystem carbon balances(NECB) of two lowland peatlands in East Anglia, south-east UK. One site is a relic conservation-managed fen ondeep peat, subject to active hydrological management to maintain water levels, and dominated by Cladium andPhragmites sedge and reed beds, whilst the other is a former cropland that has been converted to seasonally-inundated grazed grassland. Despite occasionally experiencing severe water table drawdown, the conservation-managed fen was a strong C sink of -104 g C m−2yr−1. In contrast, the grassland was a C source of 133 g C m−2yr−1, with gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions being the main loss pathway, due to low water tables ex-posing the soil profile in summer. At each site, ditch emissions of CO2were moderately large (22 and 37 g C m−2yr−1), whilst ditch methane (CH4) emissions (0.2 and 1.8 g C m−2yr−1) made a negligible contribution to theNECB, but are important when considering the ecosystem GHG balance in terms of CO2equivalents. Excludingdissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), fluvial C losses were 6 g C m−2yr−1for the conservation-managed fen and12 g C m−2yr−1for the former cropland, and were dominated by dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The smallfluvial C loss is the result of both sites being hydrologically isolated from the surrounding agricultural land-scapes. Although the partially re-wetted cropland was still acting as a net C source, our estimates suggest thatseasonal rewetting has reduced net annual C losses to ∼20% of their former cropland values. Maintaining highwater tables year round would potentially further reduce C losses, and shallow inundation might allow thereturn of wetland species such as Phragmites and Typha, perhaps as floating rafts.
Authors/Creators: | Peacock, Michael and Gauci, V and Baird, A.J and Burden, A and Chapman, P.J and Cumming, A and Evans, J.G and Grayson, R.P and Holden, J and Kaduk, J and Morrison, R and Page, S and Pan, G and Ridley, L.M and Williamson, J and Worrall, F and Evans, C.D | ||||
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Title: | The full carbon balance of a rewetted cropland fen and a conservation-managed fen | ||||
Series/Journal: | Agriculture, ecosystems & environment (0167-8809) | ||||
Year of publishing : | 2019 | ||||
Volume: | 269 | ||||
Page range: | 1-12 | ||||
Number of Pages: | 12 | ||||
Publisher: | Elsevier | ||||
ISSN: | 0167-8809 | ||||
Language: | English | ||||
Publication Type: | Journal article | ||||
Refereed: | Yes | ||||
Article category: | Scientific peer reviewed | ||||
Version: | Accepted version | ||||
Copyright: | Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 | ||||
Full Text Status: | Public | ||||
Subjects: | (A) Swedish standard research categories 2011 > 1 Natural sciences > 105 Earth and Related Environmental Sciences > Climate Research (A) Swedish standard research categories 2011 > 1 Natural sciences > 105 Earth and Related Environmental Sciences > Environmental Sciences (social aspects to be 507) | ||||
Keywords: | Peatland, Net ecosystem carbon balance, Greenhouse gas, Dissolved organic carbon, Restoration, Drainage | ||||
URN:NBN: | urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-e-5096 | ||||
Permanent URL: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-e-5096 | ||||
Additional ID: |
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ID Code: | 15733 | ||||
Faculty: | NJ - Fakulteten för naturresurser och jordbruksvetenskap | ||||
Department: | (NL, NJ) > Dept. of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment | ||||
Deposited By: | SLUpub Connector | ||||
Deposited On: | 06 Nov 2018 09:49 | ||||
Metadata Last Modified: | 25 Sep 2020 23:15 |
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