Nutrients and dissolved organic carbon dynamics in response to environmental drivers in a Belgian peatland
(2024) Centennial Celebration and Congress of the International Union of Soil Sciences — Location: Florence, Italy (19.May.2024)
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- Abstract
- Peatlands are providing crucial ecological services such as significant carbon storage. These sensitive ecosystems are subjected to degradation due to land use and climate change resulting in carbon emissions. Multiple studies focused on the gaseous carbon fluxes from disturbed peatlands while dissolved carbon fluxes have often been overlooked. However, hydrologic export of carbon can represent up to 30 % of the ecosystem carbon exchanges and is highly variable. We investigated the spatiotemporal variability in dissolved carbon in a peatland located in the Belgian High Fens. The site was previously drained for forestry and is now under passive restoration. These disturbed peatlands are understudied despite their ubiquitous presence in the Ardennes-Eifel region. It is therefore important to understand their actual state and their recovery potential. Our objectives are to: (i) characterize the spatiotemporal variability in dissolved nutrient and carbon concentrations in soil solutes; (ii) investigate the association between soil moisture, redox conditions and nutrient and carbon concentrations; (ii) identify hot-spots or hot-moments in the biogeochemical functioning of peatlands. Soil pore water samplers were installed at five contrasting positions along a toposequence, at three different depths. Soil pore and river waters are collected and analyzed once per month during one year. These water samples are analyzed for their conductivity, pH, major element concentrations, dissolved C, dissolved N, NO3, NH4, Cl, organic carbon aromaticity and Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio. At the same topographic positions, sensors were installed to record continuously soil temperature, moisture and electrical conductivity. This provides a finer temporal resolution to study the influence of soil moisture on soil electrical conductivity, and thereby nutrients mobility. Our first results revealed that meteorological events influenced concentrations of nutrients and organic carbon. They also demonstrated the importance of the ground water dynamics in controlling the soil conductivity and pH equilibriums. Finally, the soil solute chemistry varied largely as function of topographic position and sampling depth; and will be further analyzed in terms of hydrologic export.
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Citations
Henrion, M., Anciaux, E., Moore, A., Lambot, S., Van Oost, K., Jonard, F., Opfergelt, S., & Vanacker, V. (2024). Nutrients and dissolved organic carbon dynamics in response to environmental drivers in a Belgian peatland. Centennial Celebration and Congress of the International Union of Soil Sciences, Florence, Italy. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/260678