Abstract. Forestry practices generally result in an increased export of carbon and nitrogen to downstream aquatic systems. Although these losses affect the greenhouse gas budget of managed forests, it is unknown if they modify greenhouse gas emissions of recipient aquatic systems. To assess this question, we quantified atmospheric fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) of humic lakes and their inlet streams in four boreal catchments of which two were treated with forest clear-cuts followed by site preparation (18 % and 44 % of the catchment area) using a Before/After-Control/Impact-experiment. We measured atmospheric gas fluxes and hydrological and physicochemical water characteristics in hillslope groundwater, along stream transects and at multiple locations in lakes at 2-hourly to biweekly intervals throughout the summer season over a four year period. We found that the treatment did not significantly change greenhouse gas emissions from streams or lakes within three years of the treatment, despite significant increases of CO2 and CH4 concentrations in hillslope groundwater. Our results highlight the importance of the riparian zone-stream continuum as effective biogeochemical buffers and wind shelters to prevent greenhouse gases leaching from forest clear-cuts and evasion via downstream inland waters. These findings are representative for low productive forests located in relatively flat landscapes where forestry practices cause only a limited initial impact on catchment hydrology and biogeochemistry.
Greenhouse gas emissions from boreal inland waters unchanged after forest harvesting
