Trace gas responses in a climate change experiment in northern peatlands
- Univ. of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN (United States)
- Univ. of Minnesota, Duluth, MN (United States); and others
We established 54 mesocosms of 2.2 m{sup 2} and approximately 0.6 m depth with intact vegetation communities, with half originating from a poor-intermediate fen and half from a bog in northern Minnesota. The mesocosms were subjected to a series of water-table (0,-10,-20 cm) and heating treatments, with the heating treatments from overhead infrared lamps (full on, half on, ambient). Heating began in late summer 1994, and gas flux measurements were taken until the onset of winter. The first year results indicate peatland type and water-table treatment had highly significant effects on CH{sub 4} emissions, while the effect of heating treatment was weaker (P=0.07). Overall CH{sub 4} fluxes were higher in bog than in fen mesocosms. Despite the significant treatment effects, a multiple regression with water-table depth and soil temperature as the independent variables only predicted 14% and 34% of the variation in CH{sub 4} flux in the bog and fen mesocosms, respectively. CO{sub 2} emissions (net ecosystem respiration) were significantly affected by peatland type (higher in bogs) and heat treatment, but not but by water-table treatment. Soil temperature predicted 34% and 48% of the CO{sub 2} flux in the bog and fen mesocosms, respectively. These preliminary results indicate that climate change will have a significant impact on trace gas emissions in northern peatlands, but that much of the variability in emission cannot be explained by environmental correlates, even under carefully controlled conditions.
- OSTI ID:
- 107092
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9507129-; ISSN 0012-9623; TRN: 95:006512-0008
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Vol. 76, Issue 3; Conference: 80. anniversary of the transdisciplinary nature of ecology, Snowbird, UT (United States), 30 Jul - 3 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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