Carbon Dioxide Production in Wetland-Pond Complexes in the Western Boreal Plain Under Variable Climatic Conditions
Abstract
The wetland-pond complexes that are common within the mosaic of the Western Boreal Plain are significant not only in their roles as wildlife and water fowl habitat and water resources, but also in their role as significant carbon reservoirs. However, given the sub-humid climate of this region these wetland systems are very vulnerable to (natural or anthropogenic) climatic variability. Should climatic variability lead to drier conditions altering the hydrologic regime in this region these systems may dry out and become sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide. For this study, peat cores were removed in August 2003 along a topographical gradient from two pond-wetland complexes in the Utikuma Lake region of Northern Alberta. Each pond-wetland complex was chosen for its hydrological properties, where one has connection to regional groundwater and the other is hydrologically isolated. Collected cores were analysed for physical properties and carbon dioxide production over a range of moisture and temperature conditions. Incubation of peat samples was performed at two temperatures and three moisture regimes for a period of 48 hours. Here we present the results of this analysis with implications for the potential changes to wetland-pond permanence as well as atmospheric carbon dioxide fluxes as a result of increased climate change and human encroachment on these environments.
- Publication:
-
AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004AGUSM.B51B..03K
- Keywords:
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- 0400 Biogeosciences;
- 1615 Biogeochemical processes (4805);
- 1890 Wetlands