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Carbon fluxes from a tropical peat swamp forest floor
Author(s) -
Jauhiainen Jyrki,
Takahashi Hidenori,
Heikkinen Juha E. P.,
Martikainen Pertti J.,
Vasander Harri
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.001031.x
Subject(s) - peat , ombrotrophic , swamp , water table , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , carbon dioxide , greenhouse gas , carbon fibers , methane , geology , bog , groundwater , ecology , oceanography , materials science , geotechnical engineering , composite number , composite material , biology
A tropical ombrotrophic peatland ecosystem is one of the largest terrestrial carbon stores. Flux rates of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) were studied at various peat water table depths in a mixed‐type peat swamp forest floor in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Temporary gas fluxes on microtopographically differing hummock and hollow peat surfaces were combined with peat water table data to produce annual cumulative flux estimates. Hummocks formed mainly from living and dead tree roots and decaying debris maintained a relatively steady CO 2 emission rate regardless of the water table position in peat. In nearly vegetation‐free hollows, CO 2 emission rates were progressively smaller as the water table rose towards the peat surface. Methane emissions from the peat surface remained small and were detected only in water‐saturated peat. By applying long‐term peat water table data, annual gas emissions from the peat swamp forest floor were estimated to be 3493±316 g CO 2 m −2 and less than 1.36±0.57 g CH 4 m −2 . On the basis of the carbon emitted, CO 2 is clearly a more important greenhouse gas than CH 4 . CO 2 emissions from peat are the highest during the dry season, when the oxic peat layer is at its thickest because of water table lowering.