Are C-loss rates from drained peatlands constant over time? The additive value of soil profile based and flux budget approach

Leifeld, Jens; Bader, Cédric; Borraz, Elisa Albiac; Hoffmann, Mathias; Giebels, Michael; Sommer, Michael; Augustin, Jürgen

doi:10.5194/bgd-11-12341-2014

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(32 reference statements)

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“…To calculate c/ t, data subsets based on a variable moving window with a minimum length of 4 min were used . c/ t was computed by applying a linear regression to each data subset, relating changes in chamber headspace CO 2 concentration to measurement time (Leiber-Sauheitl et al, 2013;Leifeld et al, 2014;Pohl et al, 2015). In the case of the 15 s measurement frequency, a death band of 5 % was applied prior to the moving window algorithm.…”

Section: Co 2 Flux Calculation and Gap Fillingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detecting small-scale spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks: a comparison between automatic chamber-derived C budgets and repeated soil inventories

et al. 2017

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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.

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Section: Co 2 Flux Calculation and Gap Fillingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4; Leifeld et al, 2014). Temporal dynamics in NECB were calculated as the sum of daily NEE and NPP shoot .…”

Section: Calculation Of Necbmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting small-scale spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks: a comparison between automatic chamber-derived C budgets and repeated soil inventories

et al. 2017

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“…In the course of the present study, fertilization was found to enhance N 2 O fluxes at the grassland sites, where the application of biogas digestate led to significantly higher N 2 O emissions than cattle slurry application did (for further discussion see Eickenscheidt et al, 2014b). From a meta-study of European organic soils, Leppelt et al (2014) found that the amount of N fertilizer was directly linked to N 2 O fluxes from grasslands, whereas no significant relationship between N fertilization and N 2 O fluxes from arable lands were found. Nevertheless, N 2 O fluxes from the arable plots significantly exceeded those of the grassland sites, as was also reported by Maljanen et al (2007Maljanen et al ( , 2010 and Petersen et al (2012) and additionally confirmed by Leppelt et al (2014) for European organic soils.…”

Section: Land-use and Management Effectsmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…From a meta-study of European organic soils, Leppelt et al (2014) found that the amount of N fertilizer was directly linked to N 2 O fluxes from grasslands, whereas no significant relationship between N fertilization and N 2 O fluxes from arable lands were found. Nevertheless, N 2 O fluxes from the arable plots significantly exceeded those of the grassland sites, as was also reported by Maljanen et al (2007Maljanen et al ( , 2010 and Petersen et al (2012) and additionally confirmed by Leppelt et al (2014) for European organic soils. Observed N 2 O peaks at the arable sites can be related to harvesting and/or several consecutive tillage steps (e.g., ploughing, milling, and mattocking) in the previous weeks.…”

Section: Land-use and Management Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The greenhouse gas balance of a drained fen peatland is mainly controlled by land-use rather than soil organic carbon content

Eickenscheidt¹,

Heinichen²,

Drösler³

2015

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Abstract. Drained organic soils are considered as hotspots for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Particularly arable lands and intensively used grasslands have been regarded as the main producers of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O). However, GHG balances of former peatlands and associated organic soils not considered as peatland according to the definition of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have not been investigated so far. Therefore, our study addressed the question to what extent the soil organic carbon (SOC) content affects the GHG release of drained organic soils under two different land-use types (arable land and intensively used grassland). Both land-use types were established on a mollic Gleysol (named Cmedium) as well as on a sapric Histosol (named Chigh). The two soil types significantly differed in their SOC contents in the topsoil (Cmedium: 9.4–10.9% SOC; Chigh: 16.1–17.2% SOC). We determined GHG fluxes (CO2, N2O and methane (CH4)) over a period of 2 years. The daily and annual net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 was determined with the closed dynamic chamber technique and by modeling the ecosystem respiration (RECO) and the gross primary production (GPP). N2O and CH4 were determined by the close chamber technique. Estimated NEE of CO2 significantly differed between the two land-use types with lower NEE values (−6 to 1707 g CO2–C m−2 yr−1) at the arable sites and higher values (1354 to 1823 g CO2–C m−2 yr−1) at the grassland sites. No effect on NEE was found regarding the SOC content. Significantly higher annual N2O exchange rates were observed at the arable sites (0.23–0.86 g N m−2 yr−1) compared to the grassland sites (0.12–0.31 g N m−2 yr−1). Furthermore, N2O fluxes from the Chigh sites significantly exceeded those of the Cmedium sites. CH4 fluxes were found to be close to zero at all plots. Estimated global warming potential, calculated for a time horizon of 100 years (GWP100) revealed a very high release of GHGs from all plots ranging from 1837 to 7095 g CO2 eq. m−2 yr−1. Calculated global warming potential (GWP) values did not differ between soil types and partly exceeded the IPCC default emission factors of the Tier 1 approach by far. However, despite being subject to high uncertainties, the results clearly highlight the importance to adjust the IPCC guidelines for organic soils not falling under the definition, to avoid a significant underestimation of GHG emissions in the corresponding sectors of the national climate reporting. Furthermore, the present results revealed that mainly the land-use including the management and not the SOC content is responsible for the height of GHG exchange from intensive farming on drained organic soils.

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“…In these water-saturated soils, anoxic conditions hinder organic-matter decomposition and favour peat accumulation (Clymo, 1984). Drainage of peatlands induces oxic conditions and causes increasing carbon dioxide emissions (Maljanen et al, 2001) resulting in a net loss of carbon to the atmosphere. Over the last century, more than 50 % of the peatland area in Europe has been converted mainly to agriculture or forestry (Byrne et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeochemical indicators of peatland degradation – a case study of a temperate bog in northern Germany

Krüger¹,

Leifeld²,

Glatzel³

et al. 2014

Preprint

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Abstract. Peatlands store a great proportion of the global soil carbon pool and can loose carbon via the atmosphere due to degradation. In Germany, most of the greenhouse gas emissions from organic soils are attributed to sites managed as grassland. Here we investigated a land-use gradient from near-natural wetland (NW) to an extensively managed (GE) to an intensively managed grassland site (GI), all formed in the same bog complex in northern Germany. Vertical depth profiles of δ13C, δ15N, ash content, C/N ratio, bulk density, as well as radiocarbon ages were studied to identify peat degradation and to calculate carbon loss. At all sites, including the near-natural site, δ13C depth profiles indicate aerobic decomposition in the upper horizons. Depth profiles of δ15Ndiffered significantly between sites with increasing δ15N values in the top layers with increasing intensity of use, indicating that the peat is more decomposed. At both grassland sites, the ash content peaked within the first centimeter. In the near-natural site, ash contents were highest in 10–60 cm depth. This indicates that not only the managed grasslands, but also the near-natural site, is influenced by anthropogenic activities, most likely due to the drainage of the surrounding area. However, we found very young peat material in the first centimeter of the NW, indicating recent peat growth. The NW site accumulates carbon today even though it is and probably was influenced by anthropogenic activities in the past indicated by δ13C and ash content depth profiles. Based on the enrichment of ash content and changes in bulk density, we calculated carbon loss from these sites in retrograde. As expected land use intensification leads to a higher carbon loss which is supported by the higher peat ages at the intensive managed grassland site. All investigated biogeochemical parameters together indicate degradation of peat due to (i) conversion to grassland, (ii) historical drainage as well as recent development and (iii) land use intensification.

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Are C-loss rates from drained peatlands constant over time? The additive value of soil profile based and flux budget approach

Cited by 7 publications

References 29 publications

Detecting small-scale spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks: a comparison between automatic chamber-derived C budgets and repeated soil inventories

Detecting small-scale spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks: a comparison between automatic chamber-derived C budgets and repeated soil inventories

The greenhouse gas balance of a drained fen peatland is mainly controlled by land-use rather than soil organic carbon content

Biogeochemical indicators of peatland degradation – a case study of a temperate bog in northern Germany

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