Insights into the carbon dynamics of a wasted peatland under long term drainage and intensive agriculture.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Newman ◽  
Jörg Kaduk ◽  
Susan Page
Keyword(s):  
Soil Layer ◽  
Intensive Agriculture ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Peat Layer ◽  
Mineral Layer ◽  
Maize Crop ◽  
East Anglia ◽  
Organic C ◽  
C Balance ◽  
The Uk

<p>Lowland fen peatlands in East Anglia, United Kingdom (UK), have had a long history of drainage and agricultural use, with some having been drained for several centuries. This has led to the loss of up to 4.0 m of the original peat layer through initial consolidation and subsequent decomposition.</p><p>Today, the primary land use of these peatlands is intensive arable and horticultural agriculture, resulting in continued loss and degradation of the remaining peat layer. This has led to the classification of a large part of these peatlands as ‘wasted’ - i.e. the peat-forming vegetation has been lost along with a significant depth of peat and the underlying mineral layer increasingly determining soil properties.</p><p>Despite a significant fraction of the UK lowland peatlands being classified as wasted (1922 km<sup>2</sup> or 13.5%), there have been no previous studies of the carbon (C) emissions from these peatlands. Studies on non-wasted ‘deep’ agricultural peatlands (peat depths > 1m) suggest emission factors of 5.2 to 8.3 t CO<sub>2</sub>-C ha<sup>-1</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup> indicating the potential for wasted peatlands, despite having a lower soil organic C content, to still generate large emissions representing a significant component of the UK’s national greenhouse gas inventory.</p><p>Using Eddy Covariance, the CO<sub>2</sub> emissions of two co-located fen peatlands within East Anglia under similar intensive agriculture were quantified throughout 2018-2020.  The first site, EN-SP3, is a wasted fen peatland where the surface organic layer has been depleted to <40cm. The second site, EF-DA, is a deep peat with an organic soil layer >1m deep. We present initial analysis of C emissions data from EN-SP3, which represent the first emission estimates from a wasted agricultural fen peatland in the UK, in comparison with data collected from EF-DA, the co-located deep peat agricultural fen peatland, over the last ~6 years.</p><p>Preliminary analysis of the first full year of emissions data from the wasted peat site (EN-SP3) indicates an approximate net C balance of  5.4 t C ha<sup>-1 </sup>yr<sup>-1 </sup>(17<sup>th</sup> May 19 – 17<sup>th</sup> May 20, Celery crop following a Phacelia & Buckwheat cover crop), whilst there was a higher estimated rate of emission during the previous year under a maize crop (222 days; 4<sup>th</sup> May 18 – 11<sup>th</sup> Dec 18) indicating a net C balance of 4.7 t C ha<sup>-1</sup> over the 222 day period. These data compare with 7.8 - 11.2 t C ha<sup>-1 </sup>yr<sup>-1 </sup>from between 2012-2019 from the deep peat site (EF-DA). We highlight key differences between sites, enabling us to draw early insights into how C dynamics may differ between shallow and deep lowland agricultural peat soils.</p>

Phosphorus dynamics in shallow subsurface waters in an uncut and cut subcatchment of a lake on the Boreal Plain

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (S2) ◽  
pp. 60-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
J E Evans ◽  
E E Prepas ◽  
K J Devito ◽  
B G Kotak
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Mineral Layer ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Shallow Subsurface ◽  
Phosphorus Dynamics ◽  
Subsurface Waters ◽  
Composite Samples

Phosphorus dynamics in shallow subsurface waters (<2.5 m depth) were studied in harvested and unharvested subcatchments of a Boreal Plain lake. The organic soil layer was underlain by discontinuous layers of sand and clay glacial till. Total dissolved P (TDP) concentrations (6-798 µg·L-1) of discrete water samples from mineral layers (0.9-2.5 m deep) generally decreased with depth, were negatively related to Ca (rs < -0.7), and were lower in clay. When the groundwater table rose and saturated the organic layer, TDP concentrations increased in the composite (organic mineral layer) but not in the discrete (mineral layer) water samples, indicating that elevated TDP concentrations originate from the near-surface organic layer. TDP concentrations in composite samples were negatively correlated with water table depth (rs = -0.6) and were positively correlated with transmissivity (rs = 0.7) and dissolved organic C concentration (rs > 0.6). In the riparian buffer zone of the harvested subcatchment, TDP concentrations of composite samples decreased during high runoff, but these values remained higher than concentrations in the unharvested subcatchment. However, surface topography and variable depth to confining clay layers resulted in higher groundwater tables in the harvested subcatchment, especially in the cut area. Mean daily TDP export coefficients were similar between the unharvested (14 µg·m-2) and harvested (12 µg·m-2) subcatchments.

scholarly journals Foresttopsoil organic carbon content inSouthwest Bohemiaregion

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (No. 9) ◽  
pp. 387-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Cienciala ◽  
Z. Exnerová ◽  
J. Macků ◽  
V. Henžlík
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Content ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Sample Volume ◽  
National Forest Inventory ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Mineral Layer ◽  
Mineral Horizon

The aim of this study was to evaluate organic carbon content (SOC) in the surface layers of forest soils in the two Natural Forest Regions situated in Southwest Bohemia, namely Z&aacute;padočesk&aacute; pahorkatina (NFR 6) and Česk&yacute; les (NFR 11). The study is based upon on two consecutive soil sampling campaigns during autumn 2003 and 2004. While the sampling of 2003 was inadequate to estimate bulk density, the consecutive campaign used a defined sample volume to permit an estimation of bulk density and quantification of soil organic carbon (SOC) for soil organic layers and the upper mineral horizon. The total sampling depth was 30 cm including both organic and mineral layer. SOC of organic horizon was on average 1.99 kg&nbsp;C/m<sup>2</sup>. It differed by stand site type ranging from 0.70&nbsp;to 3.04 kg&nbsp;C/m<sup>2</sup>. The organic layer SOC was smallest under beech (1.03 kg&nbsp;C/m<sup>2</sup>), whereas it was higher under pine (2.19 kg&nbsp;C/m<sup>2</sup>) and spruce <br />(2.09 kg&nbsp;C/m<sup>2</sup>). SOC in the mineral layer was in average 7.28 kg&nbsp;C/m<sup>2</sup>. SOC differed significantly by the major tree species and reached 10.6; 5.67 and 7.5 kg&nbsp;C/m<sup>2</sup> for beech, pine and spruce sites, respectively. The average SOC for the total soil layer (0&ndash;30 cm) reached 9.33 kg&nbsp;C/m<sup>2</sup>. The methodological aspects of regional estimation of SOC and the potential of utilization of the national forest inventory program are also discussed.

Corrigendum to: Conservation agriculture effects on soil properties and crop productivity in a semiarid region of India

Soil Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Somasundaram ◽  
M. Salikram ◽  
N. K. Sinha ◽  
M. Mohanty ◽  
R. S. Chaudhary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Residue Retention

Conservation agriculture (CA) including reduced or no-tillage and crop residue retention, is known to be a self–sustainable system as well as an alternative to residue burning. The present study evaluated the effect of reduced tillage coupled with residue retention under different cropping systems on soil properties and crop yields in a Vertisol of a semiarid region of central India. Two tillage systems – conventional tillage (CT) with residue removed, and reduced tillage (RT) with residue retained – and six major cropping systems of this region were examined after 3 years of experimentation. Results demonstrated that soil moisture content, mean weight diameter, percent water stable aggregates (&gt;0.25mm) for the 0–15cm soil layer were significantly (Pmoderately labile&gt;less labile. At the 0–15cm depth, the contributions of moderately labile, less labile and non-labile C fractions to total organic C were 39.3%, 10.3% and 50.4% respectively in RT and corresponding values for CT were 38.9%, 11.7% and 49.4%. Significant differences in different C fractions were observed between RT and CT. Soil microbial biomass C concentration was significantly higher in RT than CT at 0–15cm depth. The maize–chickpea cropping system had significantly (P–1 followed by soybean+pigeon pea (2:1) intercropping (3.50 t ha–1) and soybean–wheat cropping systems (2.97 t ha–1). Thus, CA practices could be sustainable management practices for improving soil health and crop yields of rainfed Vertisols in these semiarid regions.

Microbial and biochemical changes induced by rotation and tillage in a soil under barley production

1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Angers ◽  
N. Bissonnette ◽  
A. Légère ◽  
N. Samson
Keyword(s):  
Alkaline Phosphatase ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Phosphatase Activity ◽  
Alkaline Phosphatase Activity ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Top Soil ◽  
Total Organic C

Crop rotations and tillage practices can modify not only the total amount of organic matter (OM) in soils but also its composition. The objective of this study was to determine the changes in total organic C, microbial biomass C (MBC), carbohydrates and alkaline phosphatase activity induced by 4 yr of different rotation and tillage combinations on a Kamouraska clay in La Pocatière, Quebec. Two rotations (continuous barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) versus a 2-yr barley–red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) rotation) and three tillage treatments (moldboard plowing (MP), chisel plowing (CP) and no-tillage (NT)) were compared in a split-plot design. Total organic C was affected by the tillage treatments but not by the rotations. In the top soil layer (0–7.5 cm), NT and CP treatments had C contents 20% higher than the MP treatment. In the same soil layer, MBC averaged 300 mg C kg−1 in the MP treatment and up to 600 mg C kg−1 in the NT soil. Hot-water-extractable and acid-hydrolyzable carbohydrates were on average 40% greater under reduced tillage than under MP. Both carbohydrate fractions were also slightly larger in the rotation than in the soil under continuous barley. The ratios of MBC and carbohydrate C to total organic C suggested that there was a significant enrichment of the OM in labile forms as tillage intensity was reduced. Alkaline phosphatase activity was 50% higher under NT and 20% higher under CP treatments than under MP treatment and, on average, 15% larger in the rotation than in the continuous barley treatment. Overall, the management-induced differences were slightly greater in the top layer (0–7.5 cm) than in the lower layer of the Ap horizon (7.5–15 cm). All the properties measured were highly correlated with one another. They also showed significant temporal variations that were, in most cases, independent of the treatments. Four years of conservation tillage and, to a lesser extent, rotation with red clover resulted in greater OM in the top soil layer compared with the more intensive systems. This organic matter was enriched in labile forms. Key words: Soil management, soil quality, organic matter, carbohydrates, microbial biomass, phosphatase

scholarly journals Soil geohazard mapping for improved asset management of UK local roads

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 3151-3180 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. G. Pritchard ◽  
S. H. Hallett ◽  
T. S. Farewell
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Clay Soils ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Significant Deterioration ◽  
East Anglia ◽  
The Road ◽  
Local Roads ◽  
Ultimate Failure ◽  
The Uk

Abstract. Unclassified roads comprise 60% of the road network in the United Kingdom (UK). The resilience of this locally important network is declining. It is considered by the Institution of Civil Engineers to be "at risk" and is ranked 26th in the world. Many factors contribute to the degradation and ultimate failure of particular road sections. However, several UK local authorities have identified that in drought conditions, road sections founded upon shrink/swell susceptible clay soils undergo significant deterioration compared with sections on non-susceptible soils. This arises from the local road network having little, if any structural foundations. Consequently, droughts in East Anglia have resulted in millions of pounds of damage, leading authorities to seek emergency governmental funding. This paper assesses the use of soil-related geohazard assessments in providing soil-informed maintenance strategies for the asset management of the locally important road network of the UK. A case study draws upon the UK administrative county of Lincolnshire, where road assessment data have been analysed against mapped clay-subsidence risk. This reveals a statistically significant relationship between road condition and susceptible clay soils. Furthermore, incorporation of UKCP09 future climate projections within the geohazard models has highlighted roads likely to be at future risk of clay-related subsidence.

scholarly journals Effects of different biomass materials as a salt-isolation layer on water and salt migration in coastal saline soil

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11766
Author(s):  
Mao Yang ◽  
Runya Yang ◽  
Yanni Li ◽  
Yinghua Pan ◽  
Junna Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Salt Concentration ◽  
Saline Soil ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Thick Layer ◽  
Peat Layer ◽  
Salt Accumulation

The aim of this study was to find a material suited for the prevention of evaporative water loss and salt accumulation in coastal saline soils. One-dimensional vertical water infiltration and phreatic evaporation experiments were conducted using a silty loam saline soil. A 3-cm-thick layer of corn straw, biochar, and peat was buried at the soil depth of 20 cm, and a 6-cm-thick layer of peat was also buried at the same soil depth for comparison. The presence of the biochar layer increased the upper soil water content, but its ability to inhibit salt accumulation was poor, leading to a high salt concentration in the surface soil. The 3-cm-thick straw and 6-cm-thick peat layers were most effective to inhibit salt accumulation, which reduced the upper soil salt concentration by 96% and 93%, respectively. However, the straw layer strongly inhibited phreatic evaporation and resulted in low water content in the upper soil layer. Compared with the straw layer, the peat layer increased the upper soil water content. Thus, burying a 6-cm-thick peat layer in the coastal saline soil is the optimal strategy to retain water in the upper soil layer and intercept salt in the deeper soil layer.

scholarly journals Are neonicotinoid insecticides driving declines of widespread butterflies?

PeerJ ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. e1402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre S. Gilburn ◽  
Nils Bunnefeld ◽  
John McVean Wilson ◽  
Marc S. Botham ◽  
Tom M. Brereton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Causal Link ◽  
Summer Temperature ◽  
Intensive Agriculture ◽  
Butterfly Species ◽  
Total Abundance ◽  
Insectivorous Birds ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Population Indices ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Neonicotinoid Pesticides

There has been widespread concern that neonicotinoid pesticides may be adversely impacting wild and managed bees for some years, but recently attention has shifted to examining broader effects they may be having on biodiversity. For example in the Netherlands, declines in insectivorous birds are positively associated with levels of neonicotinoid pollution in surface water. In England, the total abundance of widespread butterfly species declined by 58% on farmed land between 2000 and 2009 despite both a doubling in conservation spending in the UK, and predictions that climate change should benefit most species. Here we build models of the UK population indices from 1985 to 2012 for 17 widespread butterfly species that commonly occur at farmland sites. Of the factors we tested, three correlated significantly with butterfly populations. Summer temperature and the index for a species the previous year are both positively associated with butterfly indices. By contrast, the number of hectares of farmland where neonicotinoid pesticides are used is negatively associated with butterfly indices. Indices for 15 of the 17 species show negative associations with neonicotinoid usage. The declines in butterflies have largely occurred in England, where neonicotinoid usage is at its highest. In Scotland, where neonicotinoid usage is comparatively low, butterfly numbers are stable. Further research is needed urgently to show whether there is a causal link between neonicotinoid usage and the decline of widespread butterflies or whether it simply represents a proxy for other environmental factors associated with intensive agriculture.

scholarly journals Impacts of reindeer grazing on soil properties on Finnmarksvidda, northern Norway

Rangifer ◽  
2004 ◽  
pp. 83-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Uhlig ◽  
Tore E. Sveistrup ◽  
Ivar Schjelderup
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Northern Norway ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Lichen Cover ◽  
Plant Available Water

Numerous investigations have documented changes in vegetation due to reindeer grazing in Finnmark County, Northern Norway. However, rather few studies have focused on impacts of reindeer grazing on soil properties. The aim of this investigation was to identify possible changes in physical and chemical soil properties due to reindeer grazing. Furthermore, root distribution was detected. At four different locations on Finnmarksvidda three sample sites each were selected subjectively according to lichen and plant cover: A) ample, B) reduced, and C) poor lichen and plant cover. It was supposed that differences in lichen and plant cover were due to differences in reindeer grazing intensity. Results showed that the organic layer beneath ample lichen cover had an about 20% higher CEC and a 30—50% higher concentration of plant available Ca and Mg and total Mg compared to those beneath reduced ones. At sites with poor lichen and plant cover, an organic layer was mostly missing. The exposed mineral Eh-horizons at these sites had a significant (P<0.05) higher organic C content, higher CEC, concentrations of total P, Ca and K, and plant available K, when compared to E-horizons beneath better lichen covers. Rooting depth and amounts of plant available water in the rooting zone were lower at sites with reduced and poor lichen cover. A relation was found between soil organic C and CEC for all soil samples, indicating that soil organic matter is an essential key factor for soil fertility at the investigate sites on Finnmarksvidda. Assuming that differences in lichen and plant cover are related to differences in grazing intensity, results indicate that overgrazing by reindeers can cause a significant degradation of the organic layer, followed by significant losses of essential plant nutrients, a reduction in plant available water and consequently soil fertility.

Carbon dioxide and methane fluxes from arctic mudboils

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
K S Wilson ◽  
E R Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Plant Colonization ◽  
Patterned Ground ◽  
Organic C ◽  
C Balance

Climate change is expected to alter the Arctic’s carbon (C) balance and changes in these C-rich ecosystems may contribute to a positive feedback on global climate change. Low-center mudboils, a form of patterned ground in the Arctic, are distinct landforms in which the exchange of greenhouse gases between the atmosphere and soil has not been fully characterized, but which may have an important influence on the overall C balance of tundra ecosystems. Chamber systems were used to sample net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) and CO2 and CH4 effluxes along a 35-m transect intersecting two mudboils in a wet sedge fen in Canada’s Southern Arctic (lat. 64°52′N, long. 111°34′W) during the summer months in 2008. Mudboil features gave rise to dramatic variations in vegetation, soil temperature and thaw depth, and soil organic matter content along this transect. Variations in NEE were driven by variations in the amount of vascular vegetation, while CO2 and CH4 effluxes were remarkably similar among the two mudboil (CO2 effluxes: 1.1 ± 0.9 and 1.4 ± 0.7 µmol m-2 s-1; CH4 effluxes: 83.1 ± 189.4 and 23.1 ± 9.4 nmol m-2 s-1, ± 1 standard deviation) and the sedge fen (CO2 effluxes: 1.6 ± 0.7 mol m-2 s-1 ; CH4 effluxes: 28.0 ± 62.0 nmol m-2 s-1) sampling areas. Vegetation appeared to play an important role in limiting temporal variations in CH4 effluxes through plant mediated transport in both mudboil and sedge fen sampling areas. One of the mudboils had negligible vascular plant colonization presumably due to more active frost heave processes. The relatively high CO2 and CH4 efflux in this mudboil area was speculated to be a result of growth and decomposition of cryptogamic organisms, inflow of dissolved organic C, and warmer soil temperatures. Key words: Patterned ground, nonsorted circle, tundra, net ecosystem exchange, methane, carbon dioxide

There is no such thing as a standard AMBIT team

2017 ◽  
pp. 327-350
Author(s):  
Dickon Bevington ◽  
Peter Fuggle ◽  
Liz Cracknell ◽  
Peter Fonagy
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Challenging Behaviors ◽  
Community Treatment ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
East Anglia ◽  
Residential Community ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Adolescent Inpatient ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
The Uk

The chapter offers accounts by seven different teams trained and working in AMBIT-influenced ways, illustrating a variety of settings, the ways in which AMBIT has helped to improve their practice, and the challenges they faced. The chapter starts with an analogy comparing AMBIT with the operating system of a computer, which may run multiple different types of programs to address specific issues. The seven teams are: (i) an intensive CAMHS adolescent outreach service in London, designed to reduce inpatient admissions, (ii) a Tier 4 specialist adolescent inpatient unit in East Anglia, managing high risk/highly challenging behaviors, (iii) a voluntary sector outreach team working in London with highly excluded and gang-related young people, (iv) a therapeutic residential community for children with severe disturbance in the USA, (v) an intensive CAMHS community treatment service in Scotland, (vi) a service for young people on the edge of care in London, and (vii) a young people’s substance use service in a mixed urban/rural setting in the UK.

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