Effects of topsoil removal on greenhouse gas exchange of fen paludicultures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp-Fernando Köwitsch ◽  
Bärbel Tiemeyer
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Typha Latifolia ◽  
Phosphorus Release ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Conventional Agriculture ◽  
Topsoil Removal ◽  
Productive Land ◽  
The One

<p>Drainage is necessary for conventional agriculture on peatlands, but this practice causes high emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG) carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Paludiculture is an option to mitigate these adverse environmental effects while maintaining productive land use. Whereas the GHG exchange of paludiculture on rewetted bog peat, i.e. <em>Sphagnum</em> farming, is relatively well examined, data on GHG emissions from fen paludicultures is still very scarce. As typical fen paludiculture species are all aerenchymous plants, the release of methane is of particular interest when optimising the GHG balance of such systems. Topsoil removal is, on the one hand, an option to reduce methane emissions as well as phosphorus release upon rewetting, but on the other hand, nutrient-rich topsoils might foster biomass growth.</p><p>In this project, <em>Typha angustifolia</em>, <em>Typha latifolia</em>, and <em>Phragmites australis</em> are grown at a fen peatland formerly used as grassland. Water levels will be kept at the surface or slightly above it. In parts of the newly created polder, the topsoil will be removed. To be able to separate the effects of topsoil removal and water level, four smaller sub-polders will be installed. Greenhouse gas exchange will be measured with closed manual chambers for all three species with and without topsoil removal as well as at a reference grassland site close by.</p>

scholarly journals Water level, vegetation composition, and plant productivity explain greenhouse gas fluxes in temperate cutover fens after inundation

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3945-3970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merten Minke ◽  
Jürgen Augustin ◽  
Andrei Burlo ◽  
Tatsiana Yarmashuk ◽  
Hanna Chuvashova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Phragmites Australis ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Typha Latifolia ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Co2 Uptake ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Flooded Areas

Abstract. Peat extraction leaves a land surface with a strong relief of deep cutover areas and higher ridges. Rewetting inundates the deep parts, while less deeply extracted zones remain at or above the water level. In temperate fens the flooded areas are colonized by helophytes such as Eriophorum angustifolium, Carex spp., Typha latifolia or Phragmites australis dependent on water depth. Reeds of Typha and Phragmites are reported as large sources of methane, but data on net CO2 uptake are contradictory for Typha and rare for Phragmites. Here, we analyze the effect of vegetation, water level and nutrient conditions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for representative vegetation types along water level gradients at two rewetted cutover fens (mesotrophic and eutrophic) in Belarus. Greenhouse gas emissions were measured campaign-wise with manual chambers every 2 to 4 weeks for 2 years and interpolated by modelling. All sites had negligible nitrous oxide exchange rates. Most sites were carbon sinks and small GHG sources. Methane emissions generally increased with net ecosystem CO2 uptake. Mesotrophic small sedge reeds with water table around the land surface were small GHG sources in the range of 2.3 to 4.2 t CO2 eq. ha−1 yr−1. Eutrophic tall sedge – Typha latifolia reeds on newly formed floating mats were substantial net GHG emitters in the range of 25.1 to 39.1 t CO2 eq. ha−1 yr. They represent transient vegetation stages. Phragmites reeds ranged between −1.7 to 4.2 t CO2 eq. ha−1 yr−1 with an overall mean GHG emission of 1.3 t CO2 eq. ha−1 yr−1. The annual CO2 balance was best explained by vegetation biomass, which includes the role of vegetation composition and species. Methane emissions were obviously driven by biological activity of vegetation and soil organisms. Shallow flooding of cutover temperate fens is a suitable measure to arrive at low GHG emissions. Phragmites australis establishment should be promoted in deeper flooded areas and will lead to moderate, but variable GHG emissions or even occasional sinks. The risk of large GHG emissions is higher for eutrophic than mesotrophic peatlands. Nevertheless, flooding of eutrophic temperate fens still represents a safe GHG mitigation option because even the hotspot of our study, the floating tall sedge – Typha latifolia reeds, did not exceed the typical range of GHG emissions from drained fen grasslands and the spatially dominant Phragmites australis reed emitted by far less GHG than drained fens.

scholarly journals Water level, vegetation composition and plant productivity explain greenhouse gas fluxes in temperate cutover fens after inundation

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 17393-17452 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Minke ◽  
J. Augustin ◽  
A. Burlo ◽  
T. Yarmashuk ◽  
H. Chuvashova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Phragmites Australis ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Typha Latifolia ◽  
Co2 Uptake ◽  
Eriophorum Angustifolium ◽  
Gas Fluxes ◽  
Vegetation Water ◽  
Flooded Areas

Abstract. Rewetting of temperate continental cutover peatlands generally implies the creation of flooded areas, which are – dependent on water depth – colonized by helophytes such as Eriophorum angustifolium, Carex spp., Typha latifolia or Phragmites australis. Reeds of Typha and Phragmites are reported to be large sources of methane, but data on net CO2 uptake are contradictory for Typha and rare for Phragmites. This paper describes the effect of vegetation, water level and nutrient conditions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for representative vegetation types along water level gradients at two rewetted cutover fens (mesotrophic and eutrophic) in Belarus. Greenhouse emissions were measured with manual chambers in weekly to few – weekly intervals over a two years period and interpolated by modelling. All sites had negligible nitrous oxide exchange rates. Most sites were carbon sinks and small GHG sources. Methane emissions were generally associated with net ecosystem CO2 uptake. Small sedges were minor methane emitters and net CO2 sinks, while Phragmites australis sites released large amounts of methane and sequestered very much CO2. Variability of both fluxes increased with site productivity. Floating mats composed of Carex tussocks and Typha latifolia were a source for both methane and CO2. We conclude that shallow, stable flooding is a better measure to arrive at low GHG emissions than deep flooding, and that the risk of high GHG emissions consequent on rewetting is larger for eutrophic than for mesotrophic peatlands.

scholarly journals Sub-soil irrigation does not lower greenhouse gas emission from drained peat meadows

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Theodorus Johannes Weideveld ◽  
Weier Liu ◽  
Merit van den Berg ◽  
Leon Peter Maria Lamers ◽  
Christian Fritz
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Co2 Fluxes ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Soil Irrigation ◽  
Irrigation Drainage ◽  
And Control

Abstract. Current water management in drained peatlands to facilitate agricultural use, leads to soil subsidence and strongly increases greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. High-density, sub-soil irrigation/drainage systems have been proposed as a potential climate mitigation measure, while maintaining high biomass production. In summer, sub-soil irrigation can potentially reduce peat decomposition by preventing groundwater tables to drop below −60 cm. In 2017–2018, we evaluated the effects of sub-soil irrigation on GHG emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) for four dairy farms on drained peat meadows in the Netherlands. Each farm had a treatment site with perforated pipes at 70 cm below soil level spacing 5–6 m to improve both drainage (winter- spring) and irrigation (summer) of the subsoil, and a control site drained only by ditches (ditch water level −60/−90 cm, 100 m distance between ditches). GHG emissions were measured using closed chambers (0.8 x 0.8 m) every 2–4 weeks. C inputs by manure and C export by grass yields were accounted for. Unexpectedly, sub-soil irrigation hardly affected ecosystem respiration (Reco) despite raising summer groundwater tables (GWT) by 6–18 cm, and even up to 50 cm during drought. Only when the groundwater table of sub-soil irrigation sites was substantially higher than the control value (> 20 cm), Reco was significantly lower (p<0.01), indicating a small effect of irrigation on C turnover. During wet conditions sub-soil pipes lowered water levels by 1–20 cm, without a significant effect on Reco. As a result, Reco differed little (>3 %) between sub-soil irrigation and control sites on an annual base. CO2 fluxes were high at all locations, exceeding 45 t CO2 ha−1a−1, even where peat was covered by clay (25–40 cm). Despite extended drought episodes and lower water levels in 2018, we found lower annual CO2 fluxes than in 2017 indicating drought stress for microbial respiration. Contrary to our expectation, there was no difference between the yearly greenhouse balance of the sub-soil irrigated (64 t CO2–eq ha−1yr−1 in 2017, 53 in 2018) and control sites (61 t CO2–eq ha−1 yr−1 in 2017, 51 in 2018). Emissions of N2O were lower (3 ± 1 t CO2–eq ha−1 yr−1) in 2017 than in 2018 (5 ± 2 t CO2–eq ha−1 yr−1), without treatment effects. The contribution of CH4 to the total GHG budget was negligible (<0.1 %), with lower GWT favoring CH4 oxidation over its production. Even during the 2018 drought, sub-soil irrigation had only little effect on yields (9.7 vs. 9.1 t DM ha−1yr−1), suggesting that increased GWT failed to increase plant water supply. This indicates that peat oxidation is hardly affected, probably because GWT increase only takes place in deeper soil layers (60–120 cm depth). We conclude that, although our field-scale experimental research revealed substantial differences in summer GWT and timing/intensity of irrigation and drainage, sub-soil irrigation fails to lower annual GHG emission and is unsuitable as a climate mitigation strategy. Future research should focus on potential effects of GWT manipulation in the uppermost organic layers (−30 cm and higher) on GHG emissions from drained peatlands.

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas exchange of rewetted bog peat extraction sites and a <i>Sphagnum</i> cultivation site in northwest Germany

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2101-2117 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Beyer ◽  
H. Höper
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Good Opportunity ◽  
Peat Extraction ◽  
Northwest Germany ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Cultivation Site

Abstract. During the last decades an increasing area of drained peatlands has been rewetted. Especially in Germany, rewetting is the principal treatment on cutover sites when peat extraction is finished. The objectives are bog restoration and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The first sites were rewetted in the 1980s. Thus, there is a good opportunity to study long-term effects of rewetting on greenhouse gas exchange, which has not been done so far on temperate cutover peatlands. Moreover, Sphagnum cultivating may become a new way to use cutover peatlands and agriculturally used peatlands as it permits the economical use of bogs under wet conditions. The climate impact of such measures has not been studied yet. We conducted a field study on the exchange of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide at three rewetted sites with a gradient from dry to wet conditions and at a Sphagnum cultivation site in NW Germany over the course of more than 2 years. Gas fluxes were measured using transparent and opaque closed chambers. The ecosystem respiration (CO2) and the net ecosystem exchange (CO2) were modelled at a high temporal resolution. Measured and modelled values fit very well together. Annually cumulated gas flux rates, net ecosystem carbon balances (NECB) and global warming potential (GWP) balances were determined. The annual net ecosystem exchange (CO2) varied strongly at the rewetted sites (from −201.7 ± 126.8 to 29.7± 112.7g CO2-C m−2 a−1) due to differing weather conditions, water levels and vegetation. The Sphagnum cultivation site was a sink of CO2 (−118.8 ± 48.1 and −78.6 ± 39.8 g CO2-C m−2 a−1). The annual CH4 balances ranged between 16.2 ± 2.2 and 24.2 ± 5.0g CH4-C m−2 a−1 at two inundated sites, while one rewetted site with a comparatively low water level and the Sphagnum farming site show CH4 fluxes close to 0. The net N2O fluxes were low and not significantly different between the four sites. The annual NECB was between −185.5 ± 126.9 and 49.9 ± 112.8 g CO2-C m−2 a−1 at the rewetted sites and −115.8 ± 48.1 and −77 ± 39.8 g CO2-C m−2 a−1 at the Sphagnum cultivating site. The annual GWP100 balances ranged from −280.5 ± 465.2 to 644.5 ± 413.6 g CO2-eq. m−2 a−1 at the rewetted sites. In contrast, the Sphagnum farming site had a cooling impact on the climate in both years (−356.8 ± 176.5 and −234.9 ± 145.9 g CO2-C m−2 a−1). If the carbon exported through the harvest of the Sphagnum biomass and the additional CO2 emission from the decay of the organic material is considered, the NECB and GWP100 balances are near neutral. Peat mining sites are likely to become net carbon sinks and a peat accumulating ("growing") peatland within 30 years of rewetting, but the GWP100 balance may still be positive. A recommended measure for rewetting is to achieve a water level of a few centimetres below ground. Sphagnum farming is a climate-friendly alternative to conventional commercial use of bogs. A year-round constant water level of a few centimetres below ground level should be maintained.

scholarly journals Evaluation of best management practices with greenhouse gas benefits for salt-affected paddy soils in South Asia

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erandathie Lokupitiya ◽  
Madhoolika Agrawal ◽  
Tofyel Ahamed ◽  
Naveed Mustafa ◽  
Bashir Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Salt Affected Soils

Anthropogenic climate change has caused increased soil salinity in South Asia due to saltwater intrusion caused by sea level rise, input of fertilizers with high salt index, and irrigation malpractices, etc. Salinity has a multitude of impacts on plant and soil processes, leading to alterations in gas fluxes and rice productivity. The remedial measures adopted on salt-affected soils to reduce the salinity effect could enhance future climate change if they cause an increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study was conducted to find the best agricultural management practices (BMPs) for salt-affected soils in rice cropping systems (i.e. the major cropping system in Asia) in four South Asian countries (Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan) considering net GHG emissions and other socioeconomic benefits associated with the adopted measures. The salinity-affected sites were selected based on available information (e.g. agricultural statistics and maps). Site-level measurements on soil parameters and GHG emissions were made in control- and managed plots and farmer surveys were conducted. Although organic amendments ameliorated salinity, it could cause a net increase in carbon dioxide or methane emissions depending on the soil conditions, particularly during the initial stages. This impact could be ameliorated by combining organic amendments with other management practices. In the Indo-Gangetic region, poor soil drainage causing anaerobic conditions favoured nitrous oxide emission under low to medium salinity. Yield losses and emissions in high salinity sites were controlled through organic amendment, irrigation and rice-fallow cropping sequence. The combination of transplanting of rice seedlings, the addition of organic matter, and intermittent irrigated water levels was identified as the BMP for Sri Lankan farmers. The outcome of this project will be used to raise awareness among farmers and policymakers.

Greenhouse gas exchange of young rewetted swamp in northern Netherlands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Kruijt ◽  
Hanne Berghuis ◽  
Jan Biermann ◽  
Wilma Jans ◽  
Wietse Franssen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Ecosystem Responses ◽  
Insight Into

&lt;p&gt;There are many initiatives to re-wet drained nature or former agricultural land. These young wetlands provide a natural habitat for a range of endangered species, while serving as a natural climate buffer by retaining water, regulating air temperature, and sequestering CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; from the atmosphere. However, wetlands may also emit CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;, which has a global warming potential (GWP) of about 30. Thus, all carbon fluxes need to be quantified in order to assess if, from a climate perspective, CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; uptake outweighs CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; emission.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To assess the net effect of young wetlands on Greenhouse Gas exchange, we study the CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; fluxes of two recently rewetted areas near Groningen, the Netherlands. The fluxes are measured directly using the Eddy Covariance (EC) technique on a moveable station, alternating between the two sites. Meteorological observations are performed at these stations as well, along with other supportive measurements such as soil/water temperature. The alternating time gaps are filled by interpolation based on observed ecosystem responses. Footprint analysis provides insight into the role of various vegetation types inside these swamps. The resulting carbon budgets provide insight into GHG exchange over typically small temporal and spatial scales.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study also examines the feasibility of these moveable stations, as they may reduce the relatively high research costs of EC measurements. The data from moveable stations is reliable if the data is regular, as the time gaps are filled by interpolation. At this stage, the timeseries is too short to draw any conclusions upon the reliability of the data. However, the moveable stations appear to be feasible from a practical point of view, as the station can be relocated relatively easy within the time span of a day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first results suggest both substantial CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; uptake and CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; emissions but a full year of data was not collected yet. Observed exchange compares well to similar studies previously performed. &amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately, annual budgets of the carbon exchange response will be correlated to weather conditions but also to hydrological measures such as water levels. This should allow extrapolation of the data, which may serve as a basis for policy makers to manage the carbon balance when re-wetting nature to achieve net mitigation of greenhouse warming potential.&lt;/p&gt;

Policy Infusion Through Capacity Building and Project Interaction: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 91-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Biedenkopf ◽  
Sarah Van Eynde ◽  
Hayley Walker
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Emissions Trading ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
National Development ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
The One

Capacity-building projects can be a vehicle for fostering policy diffusion. They should not, however, be considered as exclusively externally driven; the receiving jurisdiction’s receptiveness and leverage to steer the design of those projects can be crucial factors, shaping the process of infusing different external policy expertise and experiences into domestic policy design and implementation. This article shows that the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has played a key role in steering the capacity-building efforts of external financiers in the case of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trading. The focus here is twofold: analyzing, on the one hand, the interaction among capacity-building projects financed by different external financiers, and on the other, the role that central actors and brokers can play in the complex structure of interacting projects.

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