1. Soil CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes from an afforested lowland raised peatbog in Scotland: implications for drainage and restoration.
- Author
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Yamulki, S., Anderson, R., Peace, A., and Morison, J. I. L.
- Subjects
SOIL ecology ,CARBON dioxide ,METHANE ,NITROGEN dioxide ,AFFORESTATION ,DRAINAGE ,RESTORATION ecology ,GLOBAL warming - Abstract
The effect of tree (lodgepole pine) planting with and without intensive drainage on soil greenhouse gas fluxes was assessed after 45 yr at a raised peatbog in West Flanders Moss, central Scotland. Fluxes of CO
2 , CH4 and N2 O from the soil were monitored over a 2-yr period every 2 to 4 weeks using the static opaque chamber method in a randomised experimental block trial with the following treatments: drained and planted (DP), undrained and planted (uDP), undrained and unplanted (uDuP), and for reference also from an adjoining near pristine area of bog at East Flanders Moss (n-pris). There was a strong seasonal pattern in both CO2 and CH4 effluxes which were significantly higher in late spring and summer months, reflecting seasonal temperature changes. Effluxes of N2 O were low and no significant differences were observed between the treatments. Annual CH4 emissions increased with the proximity of the water table to the soil surface across treatments in the order: DP4ha -1 yr-1 , respectively. For CO2 , effluxes increased in the order uDP2ha -1 yr-1 , respectively. CO2 effluxes dominated the calculated global warming potential (GWP) of the net fluxes for each treatment (76-98 %), and only in the n-pris site was CH4 a substantial contribution (23%). Based on soil effluxes only, the near pristine (n-pris) peatbog had 43% higher net GWP compared with the DP treatment because of high CH4 effluxes and the DP treatment had 33% higher GWP compared with the uDP because drainage increased CO2 effluxes. Restoration is likely to increase CH4 emissions, but reduce CO2 effluxes. Including estimates of CO2 uptake by vegetation from similar peatbog sites suggests that the total GWP of restored peatbog would be about half that of the peatbog covered by woodland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2012
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