Peatland Carbon Farming in the Southeastern USA: A New ACR Approved Protocol Based on Long-term C Sequestration and GHG flux Measurements in Coastal Pocosins.
Abstract
Surveys of the soil type with the highest amount of C storage per hectare on the globe are peatlands, many of which have been drained for farming and forestry1. Millions of hectares of coastal peatlands in the southeast have been drained and converted to agriculture, exacerbating C loss due to increased greenhouse gas (GHG) losses, increased C export in runoff, reduced C sequestration and uncontrolled deep peat fires. However, shrub dominated southeastern peatlands have also been shown to have low levels of C loss compared to other wetland ecosystems even under drainage and extended droughts due to the recalcitrant nature of the peat C chemistry in Pocosin peatlands2. In this study we provide the scientific data needed to quantify the amount of C sequestration that occurs annually when restoration to natural hydrologic conditions takes place on these drained peatlands. Results show a net positive C storage balance that could be profitable on the open C market. An ACR approved dual approach of including both a stock based method and flux based method supported by our research are reviewed along with a range of potential market C values based on our 5 years of research at Pocosin Lakes Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina, where hydrologic conditions and C fluxes were quantified on reference, restored and drained blocks from (2012-2017). Research to-date has shown that restored farmland in NC peatland sites vs drained sites have net C credits ranging from a low of 34 to a high of 63 t CO2 ha -1 yr-1 depending on plant productivity and soil accretion rates. C credit values will be discussed in terms of developing future C markets in these peatlands. In addition we will report on the development of the largest C farm in the USA to be established on a private landowners 4000 ha coastal peatland property.
1Nahlik, A., and A M. Fennessy. Carbon storage in US wetlands. 2016. Nature Communications. Nature Publishing Group, London, UK, 7:1-9. 2Wang, H., C.J. Richardson, and M. Ho. 2015. Dual controls on carbon loss during drought in peatlands. Nature Climate Change 5:584-587.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.B42A..04R
- Keywords:
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- 0428 Carbon cycling;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 1615 Biogeochemical cycles;
- processes;
- and modeling;
- GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 6309 Decision making under uncertainty;
- POLICY SCIENCESDE: 6620 Science policy;
- PUBLIC ISSUES