Details
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 4134-4149 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Global change biology |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 12 |
Early online date | 14 Nov 2016 |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
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 We analyzed a unique data set (12 peatlands, 48 sites and 122 annual budgets) of mainly unpublished GHG emissions from grasslands on bog and fen peat as well as other soils rich in soil organic carbon (SOC) in Germany.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 CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1) and partially higher than all published data and the IPCC default emission factors for GHG inventories. Generally, CO2 (27.7 ± 17.3 t CO2 ha−1 yr−1) dominated the GHG budget. Nitrous oxide (2.3 ± 2.4 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1) and methane emissions (30.8 ± 69.8 kg CH4-C ha−1 yr−1) were lower than expected except for CH4 emissions from nutrient-poor acidic sites. At single peatlands, CO2 emissions clearly increased with deeper mean water table depth (WTD), but there was no general dependency of CO2 on WTD for the complete data set. Thus, regionalization of CO2 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 (Nair) as a variable combining soil nitrogen stocks with WTD. CO2 increased with Nair across peatlands. Soils with comparatively low SOC concentrations showed as high CO2 emissions as true peat soils because Nair was similar. N2O emissions were controlled by the WTD dynamics and the nitrogen content of the topsoil. CH4 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.
Keywords
- carbon dioxide, grassland management, Kyoto Protocol, methane, nitrous oxide, water table depth
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Global and Planetary Change
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Chemistry
- Environmental Science(all)
- Ecology
- Environmental Science(all)
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Global change biology, Vol. 22, No. 12, 12.2016, p. 4134-4149.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - High emissions of greenhouse gases from grasslands on peat and other organic soils
AU - Tiemeyer, Bärbel
AU - Albiac Borraz, Elisa
AU - Augustin, Jürgen
AU - Bechtold, Michel
AU - Beetz, Sascha
AU - Beyer, Colja
AU - Drösler, Matthias
AU - Ebli, Martin
AU - Eickenscheidt, Tim
AU - Fiedler, Sabine
AU - Förster, Christoph
AU - Freibauer, Annette
AU - Giebels, Michael
AU - Glatzel, Stephan
AU - Heinichen, Jan
AU - Hoffmann, Mathias
AU - Höper, Heinrich
AU - Jurasinski, Gerald
AU - Leiber-Sauheitl, Katharina
AU - Peichl-Brak, Mandy
AU - Roßkopf, Niko
AU - Sommer, Michael
AU - Zeitz, Jutta
N1 - Funding information: The projects ‘Climate protection by peatland protection’ and ‘Organic soils in the emission reporting’ were funded by the German Ministry of Education (BMBF, Grant No. 01LS05046, 01LS05048, 01LS05051 and 01LS05049) and the Thünen-Institute, respectively. Parts of the measurements in Graben-Neudorf were funded by the Federal State Baden-Württemberg (EmMo, Grant No. BWM11005). Herman Jungkunst provided CH
PY - 2016/12
Y1 - 2016/12
N2 - 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 CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1) and partially higher than all published data and the IPCC default emission factors for GHG inventories. Generally, CO2 (27.7 ± 17.3 t CO2 ha−1 yr−1) dominated the GHG budget. Nitrous oxide (2.3 ± 2.4 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1) and methane emissions (30.8 ± 69.8 kg CH4-C ha−1 yr−1) were lower than expected except for CH4 emissions from nutrient-poor acidic sites. At single peatlands, CO2 emissions clearly increased with deeper mean water table depth (WTD), but there was no general dependency of CO2 on WTD for the complete data set. Thus, regionalization of CO2 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 (Nair) as a variable combining soil nitrogen stocks with WTD. CO2 increased with Nair across peatlands. Soils with comparatively low SOC concentrations showed as high CO2 emissions as true peat soils because Nair was similar. N2O emissions were controlled by the WTD dynamics and the nitrogen content of the topsoil. CH4 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.
AB - 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 CO2-eq. ha−1 yr−1) and partially higher than all published data and the IPCC default emission factors for GHG inventories. Generally, CO2 (27.7 ± 17.3 t CO2 ha−1 yr−1) dominated the GHG budget. Nitrous oxide (2.3 ± 2.4 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1) and methane emissions (30.8 ± 69.8 kg CH4-C ha−1 yr−1) were lower than expected except for CH4 emissions from nutrient-poor acidic sites. At single peatlands, CO2 emissions clearly increased with deeper mean water table depth (WTD), but there was no general dependency of CO2 on WTD for the complete data set. Thus, regionalization of CO2 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 (Nair) as a variable combining soil nitrogen stocks with WTD. CO2 increased with Nair across peatlands. Soils with comparatively low SOC concentrations showed as high CO2 emissions as true peat soils because Nair was similar. N2O emissions were controlled by the WTD dynamics and the nitrogen content of the topsoil. CH4 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.
KW - carbon dioxide
KW - grassland management
KW - Kyoto Protocol
KW - methane
KW - nitrous oxide
KW - water table depth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84969760181&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/gcb.13303
DO - 10.1111/gcb.13303
M3 - Article
C2 - 27029402
AN - SCOPUS:84969760181
VL - 22
SP - 4134
EP - 4149
JO - Global change biology
JF - Global change biology
SN - 1354-1013
IS - 12
ER -