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Long-term water table manipulations alter peatland gaseous carbon fluxes in Northern Michigan

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Abstract

Northern peatland water table position is tightly coupled to carbon (C) cycling dynamics and is predicted to change from shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns associated with global climate change. However, it is uncertain how long-term water table alterations will alter C dynamics in northern peatlands because most studies have focused on short-term water table manipulations. The goal of our study was to quantify the effect of long-term water table changes (~80 years) on gaseous C fluxes in a peatland in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Chamber methods were utilized to measure ecosystem respiration (ER), gross primary production (GPP), net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and methane (CH4) fluxes in a peatland experiencing levee induced long-term water table drawdown and impoundment in relation to an unaltered site. Inundation raised water table levels by approximately ~10 cm and resulted in a decrease in ER and GPP, but an increase of CH4 emissions. Conversely, the drained sites, with water table levels ~15 cm lower, resulted in a significant increase in ER and GPP, but a decrease in CH4 emissions. However, NEE was not significantly different between the water table treatments. In summary, our data indicates that long-term water table drawdown and inundation was still altering peatland gaseous C fluxes, even after 80 years. In addition, many of the patterns we found were of similar magnitude to those measured in short-term studies, which indicates that short-term studies might be useful for predicting the direction and magnitude of future C changes in peatlands.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Robin Conklin, Elizabeth Boisvert, Chris Johnson, Jamie Bourgo, Laura Kangas, and Laura Matkala for their help with site construction, as well as field and lab work. This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science (BER) through the Midwestern Regional Center of the National Institute for Climatic Change Research at Michigan Technological University. Additional support was provided by the Ecosystem Science Center at Michigan Technological University. The project would not have been possible without the cooperation of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in allowing us to access this site. This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science (BER) through the Midwestern Regional Center of the National Institute for Climatic Change Research at Michigan Technological University.

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  1. School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA

    Drew M. Ballantyne, John A. Hribljan, Thomas G. Pypker & Rodney A. Chimner

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  1. Drew M. Ballantyne
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Correspondence to Rodney A. Chimner.

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Ballantyne, D.M., Hribljan, J.A., Pypker, T.G. et al. Long-term water table manipulations alter peatland gaseous carbon fluxes in Northern Michigan. Wetlands Ecol Manage 22, 35–47 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-013-9320-8

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