Understanding the Temporal Variation of CO2 and CH4 Fluxes in a Subtropical Seasonal Wetland

The magnitude of the net greenhouse gas (GHG) sink strength of wetlands and mechanisms driving C fluxes remain uncertain, particularly for subtropical and tropical wetlands that are responsible for the majority of wetland CH4 emissions globally. We determined the exchange of CO2 and CH4 fluxes between a subtropical wetland and the atmosphere, and investigated how changes in water table (WT), soil temperature (ST), and Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) alter CH4 fluxes. Measurements were made using the eddy covariance technique from June, 2013 to December, 2015. As GPP was greater than ecosystem respiration, wetland was consistently a net sink of CO2 from the atmosphere (-480 gC m-2 in 2013, -275 gC m-2 in 2014 and -258 gC m-2 in 2015). Though variable among years, wetland was a net source of CH4 to the atmosphere (24.5 gC m-2 in 2013, 26.1 gC m-2 in 2014, 32.7 gC m-2 in 2015). WT and ST were strong drivers of net CH4 fluxes. Fluxes of CH4 exponentially increased with WT near the soil surface, and they were maximal and sustained after 3 days or more of preceding flooding suggesting that flooding duration and intensity drives CH4 emissions in this system. GPP also exerted a strong control on these fluxes, particularly when water was near the soil surface. The system emitted an average of 2 g more C-CH4 m-2 during the wet seasons of 2013 and 2015 than the wet season of 2014 due to higher WT, and increases in flooding days and cumulative GPP for days with water at near-surface (GPPWT). Although WT was higher during the dry season of 2015 than the wet season of 2014, CH4 fluxes were similar likely because of increased ST and GPPWT in the wet season of 2014. The contribution of CH4 fluxes during the dry season to annual fluxes was 41% in 2014 and 48% in 2015. Wetland was a strong sink of C, and it was a net sink of GHGs in 2014 and a net source in 2015 mainly attributable to increases in net CH4 emissions. Climate models predict that subtropical and tropical regions will experience more frequent floods and droughts as well as higher temperatures, conditions that will likely alter ecosystem attributes such as GPP. Our results indicate that CH4 emissions from subtropical wetlands will likely respond to projected changes in precipitation, temperature and productivity, substantially affecting the net GHG sink strength of these systems in future climate scenarios.