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Role of the aquatic pathway in the carbon and greenhouse gas budgets of a peatland catchment
Author(s) -
DINSMORE KERRY J.,
BILLETT MICHAEL F.,
SKIBA UTE M.,
REES ROBERT M.,
DREWER JULIA,
HELFTER CAROLE
Publication year - 2010
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.1365-2486.2009.02119.x
Subject(s) - peat , greenhouse gas , environmental science , ombrotrophic , carbon sink , hydrology (agriculture) , drainage basin , carbon dioxide , sink (geography) , carbon cycle , ecosystem , sphagnum , streams , aquatic ecosystem , atmospheric sciences , bog , environmental chemistry , ecology , chemistry , geography , geology , biology , computer network , geotechnical engineering , cartography , computer science
Peatland streams have repeatedly been shown to be highly supersaturated in both CO 2 and CH 4 with respect to the atmosphere, and in combination with dissolved (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) represent a potentially important pathway for catchment greenhouse gas (GHG) and carbon (C) losses. The aim of this study was to create a complete C and GHG (CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O) budget for Auchencorth Moss, an ombrotrophic peatland in southern Scotland, by combining flux tower, static chamber and aquatic flux measurements from 2 consecutive years. The sink/source strength of the catchment in terms of both C and GHGs was compared to assess the relative importance of the aquatic pathway. During the study period (2007–2008) the catchment functioned as a net sink for GHGs (352 g CO 2 ‐Eq m −2 yr −1 ) and C (69.5 g C m −2 yr −1 ). The greatest flux in both the GHG and C budget was net ecosystem exchange (NEE). Terrestrial emissions of CH 4 and N 2 O combined returned only 4% of CO 2 equivalents captured by NEE to the atmosphere, whereas evasion of GHGs from the stream surface returned 12%. DOC represented a loss of 24% of NEE C uptake, which if processed and evaded downstream, outside of the catchment, may lead to a significant underestimation of the actual catchment‐derived GHG losses. The budgets clearly show the importance of aquatic fluxes at Auchencorth Moss and highlight the need to consider both the C and GHG budgets simultaneously.