Longitudinal Gradients in Tree Stem Greenhouse Gas Concentrations Across Six Pacific Northwest Coastal Forests

Ward, N. D.; Indivero, J.; Gunn, C.; Wang, W.; Bailey, V.; McDowell, N. G.

doi:10.1029/2019JG005064

Title: Longitudinal Gradients in Tree Stem Greenhouse Gas Concentrations Across Six Pacific Northwest Coastal Forests

Journal Article · 07 May 2019 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005064 · OSTI ID:1560182

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^[2]; Gunn, C. ^[2];

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^[4]; McDowell, N. G. ^[3]

Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Sequim, WA (United States). Marine Sciences Lab.; Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States). School of Oceanography
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Sequim, WA (United States). Marine Sciences Lab.
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Sequim, WA (United States). Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Sequim, WA (United States). Biological Sciences Division

The aim of this study was to examine the magnitude of greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in tree stems of Pacific Northwest, USA coastal forests and evaluate various tree and site characteristics along river-to-sea gradients as possible drivers of tree stem GHG variation. Here, we measured the concentration of CH₄, CO₂, and N₂O during summer and winter in live and dead tree stems of five species from six coastal watersheds and related this to soil porewater GHG concentrations, porewater salinity, and tree characteristics. Overall, average pCO₂ and pCH₄ were elevated above atmospheric concentration, and average pN₂O was slightly below atmospheric concentration. Stem pCO₂ was higher in the summer than the winter and was higher in angiosperm trees compared to gymnosperm trees, whereas pCH₄ was significantly higher in fresh upstream compared to salt-influenced reaches. Stem pCH₄ was also positively correlated with porewater pCH₄ in contrast to other GHGs. The above results suggest that tree stem pCH₄ in these coastal settings was primarily controlled by soil linkages, pCO₂ was primarily regulated by tree physiology, and factors controlling pN₂O remain unclear.

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Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830; AC05‐76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 1560182

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1560183; OSTI ID: 1571515

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA-138892

Journal Information:: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Vol. 124, Issue 6; ISSN 2169-8953

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 14 works

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
biogeochemistry
carbon dioxide
climate change
coastal
continuum
ecosystem
emission
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gradients
interface
methane
outgassing
nitrous oxide
river
terrestial aquatic interface
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stress
tidal
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Title: Longitudinal Gradients in Tree Stem Greenhouse Gas Concentrations Across Six Pacific Northwest Coastal Forests

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Cited By (1)

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