Drainage has turned peatlands from a carbon sink into one of the world's largest greenhouse gas (GHG) sources from cultivated soils. We analyzed a unique data set (12 peatlands, 48 sites and 122 annual budgets) of mainly unpublished GHG emissions from grasslands on bog and fen peat as well as other soils rich in soil organic carbon (SOC) in Germany. Emissions and environmental variables were measured with identical methods. Site-averaged GHG budgets were surprisingly variable (29.2 ± 17.4 t CO -eq. ha yr ) and partially higher than all published data and the IPCC default emission factors for GHG inventories. Generally, CO (27.7 ± 17.3 t CO ha yr ) dominated the GHG budget. Nitrous oxide (2.3 ± 2.4 kg N O-N ha yr ) and methane emissions (30.8 ± 69.8 kg CH -C ha yr ) were lower than expected except for CH emissions from nutrient-poor acidic sites. At single peatlands, CO emissions clearly increased with deeper mean water table depth (WTD), but there was no general dependency of CO on WTD for the complete data set. Thus, regionalization of CO emissions by WTD only will remain uncertain. WTD dynamics explained some of the differences between peatlands as sites which became very dry during summer showed lower emissions. We introduced the aerated nitrogen stock (N ) as a variable combining soil nitrogen stocks with WTD. CO increased with N across peatlands. Soils with comparatively low SOC concentrations showed as high CO emissions as true peat soils because N was similar. N O emissions were controlled by the WTD dynamics and the nitrogen content of the topsoil. CH emissions can be well described by WTD and ponding duration during summer. Our results can help both to improve GHG emission reporting and to prioritize and plan emission reduction measures for peat and similar soils at different scales.

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Abstract. The drainage and cultivation of fen peatlands create complex small-scale mosaics of soils with extremely variable soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and groundwater levels (GWLs). To date, the significance of such sites as sources or sinks for greenhouse gases such as CO2 and CH4 is still unclear, especially if the sites are used for cropland. As individual control factors such as GWL fail to account for this complexity, holistic approaches combining gas fluxes with the underlying processes are required to understand the carbon (C) gas exchange of drained fens. It can be assumed that the stocks of SOC and N located above the variable GWL – defined as dynamic C and N stocks – play a key role in the regulation of the plant- and microbially mediated CO2 fluxes in these soils and, inversely, for CH4. To test this assumption, the present study analysed the C gas exchange (gross primary production – GPP; ecosystem respiration – Reco; net ecosystem exchange – NEE; CH4) of maize using manual chambers for 4 years. The study sites were located near Paulinenaue, Germany, where we selected three soil types representing the full gradient of GWL and SOC stocks (0–1 m) of the landscape: (a) Haplic Arenosol (AR; 8 kg C m−2); (b) Mollic Gleysol (GL; 38 kg C m−2); and (c) Hemic Histosol (HS; 87 kg C m−2). Daily GWL data were used to calculate dynamic SOC (SOCdyn) and N (Ndyn) stocks. Average annual NEE differed considerably among sites, ranging from 47 ± 30 g C m−2 yr−1 in AR to −305 ± 123 g C m−2 yr−1 in GL and −127 ± 212 g C m−2 yr−1 in HS. While static SOC and N stocks showed no significant effect on C fluxes, SOCdyn and Ndyn and their interaction with GWL strongly influenced the C gas exchange, particularly NEE and the GPP : Reco ratio. Moreover, based on nonlinear regression analysis, 86% of NEE variability was explained by GWL and SOCdyn. The observed high relevance of dynamic SOC and N stocks in the aerobic zone for plant and soil gas exchange likely originates from the effects of GWL-dependent N availability on C formation and transformation processes in the plant–soil system, which promote CO2 input via GPP more than CO2 emission via Reco. The process-oriented approach of dynamic C and N stocks is a promising, potentially generalisable method for system-oriented investigations of the C gas exchange of groundwater-influenced soils and could be expanded to other nutrients and soil characteristics. However, in order to assess the climate impact of arable sites on drained peatlands, it is always necessary to consider the entire range of groundwater-influenced mineral and organic soils and their respective areal extent within the soil landscape.

Abstract. Carbon (C) sequestration in soils plays a key role in the global C cycle. It is therefore crucial to adequately monitor dynamics in soil organic carbon ( SOC) stocks when aiming to reveal underlying processes and potential drivers. However, small-scale spatial (10-30 m) and temporal changes in SOC stocks, particularly pronounced in arable lands, are hard to assess. The main reasons for this are limitations of the well-established methods. On the one hand, repeated soil inventories, often used in long-term field trials, reveal spatial patterns and trends in SOC but require a longer observation period and a sufficient number of repetitions. On the other hand, eddy covariance measurements of C fluxes towards a complete C budget of the soil-plant-atmosphere system may help to obtain temporal SOC patterns but lack small-scale spatial resolution.To overcome these limitations, this study presents a reliable method to detect both short-term temporal dynamics as well as small-scale spatial differences of SOC using measurements of the net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) as a proxy. To estimate the NECB, a combination of automatic chamber (AC) measurements of CO 2 exchange and empirically modeled aboveground biomass development (NPP shoot ) were used. To verify our method, results were compared with SOC observed by soil resampling.Soil resampling and AC measurements were performed from 2010 to 2014 at a colluvial depression located in the hummocky ground moraine landscape of northeastern Germany. The measurement site is characterized by a variable groundwater level (GWL) and pronounced small-scale spatial heterogeneity regarding SOC and nitrogen (Nt) stocks. Tendencies and magnitude of SOC values derived by AC measurements and repeated soil inventories corresponded well. The period of maximum plant growth was identified as being most important for the development of spatial differences in annual SOC. Hence, we were able to confirm that AC-based C budgets are able to reveal small-scale spatial differences and short-term temporal dynamics of SOC.

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Drained peatlands are CO₂ hotspots and lose important soil functions over time. In contrast to mineral soils, their high carbon density induces long lasting and high emissions. These emissions can be estimated using various approaches which cover different system boundaries in time and space. Here we compare 5 years flux measurements from manual chambers with a soil profile based method to estimate carbon losses from two temperate fens under different management intensity drained at the end of the 19th century. According to the flux measurements, both grassland sites currently lose significant amounts of carbon as CO₂ in the order of 7.1 and 9.1 t CO₂-C ha^&amp;minus;1a^&amp;minus;1 when managed non-intensively or intensively, respectively. Profile based estimates, which make use of the difference in ash concentration along the soil profile, reveal a total of 284 and 619 t C ha^&amp;minus;1 since the onset of drainage. These substantial losses are accompanied by a sharp decrease in peat quality as measured by NMR spectroscopy, confirming that a large part of former topsoil material is already mineralized. On average, the profile based estimate converts to smaller annual loss rates of 2.2 (non-intensive) and 4.8 t CO₂&amp;minus;C ha^&amp;minus;1a^&amp;minus;1 (intensive) management. Our data, together with historical flux measurements at this site, provide evidence that peat decomposition rates increased over time, despite declining organic matter quality. We suggest that higher management intensities (i.e., higher fertilization and changes in carbon export from the field), including drainage, and increased mean annual temperature may be important factors for higher emissions today. These two methods are complementary in terms of time horizon and system boundary and, in conjunction, confirm the long-term emission potential of temperate drained organic grassland soils.</p>

Abstract. Drainage and cultivation of fen peatlands creates complex small-scale mosaics of soils with extremely variable soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and groundwater-level (GWL). To date, it remains unclear if such sites are sources or sinks for greenhouse gases like CO2 and CH4, especially if used for cropland. As individual control factors like GWL fail to account for this complexity, holistic approaches combining gas fluxes with the underlying processes are required to understand the carbon (C) gas exchange of drained fens. It can be assumed that the stocks of SOC and N located above the variable GWL – defined as dynamic C and N stocks – play a key role in the regulation of plant- and microbially mediated C gas fluxes of these soils. To test this assumption, the present study analysed the C gas exchange (gross primary production – GPP, ecosystem respiration – Reco, net ecosystem exchange – NEE, CH4) of maize using manual chambers for four years. The study sites were located near Paulinenaue, Germany. Here we selected three soils, which represent the full gradient in pedogenesis, GWL and SOC stocks (0–1 m) of the fen peatland: (a) Haplic Arenosol (AR; 8 kg C m−2); (b) Mollic Gleysol (GL; 38 kg C m−2); and (c) Hemic Histosol (HS; 87 kg C m−2). Daily GWL data was used to calculate dynamic SOC (SOCdyn) and N (Ndyn) stocks. Average annual NEE differed considerably among sites, ranging from 47 ± 30 g C m−2 a−1 at AR to −305 ± 123 g C m−2 a−1 at GL and −127 ± 212 g C m−2 a−1 at HS. While static SOC and N stocks showed no significant effect on C fluxes, SOCdyn and Ndyn and their interaction with GWL strongly influenced the C gas exchange, particularly NEE and the GPP:Reco ratio. Moreover, based on nonlinear regression analysis, 86% of NEE variability was explained by GWL and SOCdyn. The observed high relevance of dynamic SOC and N stocks in the aerobic zone for plant and soil gas exchange likely originates from the effects of GWL-dependent N availability on C formation and transformation processes in the plant-soil system, which promote CO2 input via GPP more than CO2 emission via Reco. The process-oriented approach of dynamic C and N stocks is a promising, potentially generalizable method for system-oriented investigations of the C gas exchange of groundwater-influenced soils and could be expanded to other nutrients and soil characteristics. However, in order to assess the climate impact of arable sites on drained peatlands, it is always necessary to consider the entire range of groundwater-influenced mineral and organic soils and their respective areal extent within the soil landscape.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Abstract.&lt;/strong&gt; Carbon (C) sequestration in soils plays a key role in the global C cycle. It is therefore crucial to adequately monitor dynamics in soil organic carbon (&amp;#8710;SOC) stocks when aiming to reveal underlying processes and potential drivers. However, small-scale spatial and temporal changes in SOC stocks, particularly pronounced on arable lands, are hard to assess. The main reasons for this are limitations of the well-established methods. On the one hand, repeated soil inventories, often used in long-term field trials, reveal spatial patterns and trends in &amp;#8710;SOC but require a longer observation period and a sufficient number of repetitions. On the other hand, eddy covariance measurements of C fluxes towards a complete C budget of the soil-plant-atmosphere system may help to obtain temporal &amp;#8710;SOC patterns but lack small-scale spatial resolution. To overcome these limitations, this study presents a reliable method to detect both short-term temporal as well as small-scale spatial dynamics of &amp;#916;SOC. Therefore, a combination of automatic chamber (AC) measurements of CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; exchange and empirically modeled aboveground biomass development (NPPshoot) was used. To verify our method, results were compared with &amp;#916;SOC observed by soil resampling. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt; AC measurements were performed from 2010 to 2014 under a &lt;i&gt;silage maize/winter fodder rye/sorghum-Sudan grass hybrid/alfalfa&lt;/i&gt; crop rotation at a colluvial depression located in the hummocky ground moraine landscape of NE Germany. Widespread in large areas of the formerly glaciated Northern Hemisphere, this depression type is characterized by a variable groundwater level (GWL) and pronounced small-scale spatial heterogeneity in soil properties, such as SOC and nitrogen (Nt). After monitoring the initial stage during 2010, soil erosion was experimentally simulated by incorporating topsoil material from an eroded midslope soil into the plough layer of the colluvial depression. SOC stocks were quantified before and after soil manipulation and at the end of the study period. AC-based &amp;#8710;SOC values corresponded well with the tendencies and magnitude of the results observed in the repeated soil inventory. The period of maximum plant growth was identified as being most important for the development of spatial differences in annual &amp;#916;SOC. Hence, we were able to confirm that AC-based C budgets are able to reveal small-scale spatial and short-term temporal dynamics of &amp;#8710;SOC.&lt;/p&gt;