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Changes in inundation drive carbon dioxide and methane fluxes in a temperate wetland

Journal Article · · Science of the Total Environment
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [1]
  1. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY (United States)
  2. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)
  3. Kent State University, Akron, OH (United States)
  4. University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LA (United States)
  5. Old Woman Creek NERR, Huron, OH (United States)
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Wetlands cycle carbon by being net sinks for carbon dioxide (CO2) and net sources of methane (CH4). Daily and seasonal temporal patterns, dissolved oxygen (DO) availability, inundation status (flooded or dry/partially flooded), water depth, and vegetation can affect the magnitude of carbon uptake or emissions, but the extent and interactive effects of these variables on carbon gas fluxes are poorly understood. We characterized the linkages between carbon fluxes and these environmental and temporal drivers at the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve (OWC), OH. We measured diurnal gas flux patterns in an upstream side channel (called the cove) using chamber measurements at six sites (three vegetated and three non-vegetated). We sampled hourly from 7 AM to 7 PM and monthly from July to October 2022. DO concentrations and water levels were measured monthly. Water inundation status had the most influential effect on carbon fluxes with flooded conditions supporting higher CH4 fluxes (0.39 μmol CH4 m–2 s–1; –1.23 μmol CO2 m–2 s–1) and drier conditions supporting higher CO2 fluxes (0.03 μmol CH4 m–2 s–1; 0.86 μmol CO2 m–2 s–1). When flooded, the wetland was a net CO2 sink; however, it became a source for both CH4 and CO2 when water levels were low. We compared chamber-based gas fluxes from the cove in flooded (July) and dry (August) months to fluxes measured with an eddy covariance tower whose footprint covers flooded portions of the wetland. The diurnal pattern of carbon fluxes at the tower did not vary with changing water levels but remained a CO2 sink and a CH4 source even when the cove where we performed the chamber measurements dried out. Furthermore, these results emphasize the role of inundation status on wetland carbon cycling and highlight the importance of fluctuating hydrologic patterns, especially hydrologic drawdowns, under changing climatic conditions.

Research Organization:
The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States); The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0021067; SC0023084; SC0022191
OSTI ID:
2427954
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2282372; OSTI ID: 2441311
Journal Information:
Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 915; ISSN 0048-9697
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Inundation
Biogeochemistry
Lake Erie
Greenhouse gases
CH4
methane
CO2
carbon dioxide
DO
dissolved oxygen
SR6
State Route 6
OWC
Old Woman Creek
NERR
National Estuarine Research Reserve