Details
Originalsprache | Englisch |
---|---|
Aufsatznummer | 110367 |
Seitenumfang | 17 |
Fachzeitschrift | Agricultural and Forest Meteorology |
Jahrgang | 362 |
Frühes Online-Datum | 26 Dez. 2024 |
Publikationsstatus | Elektronisch veröffentlicht (E-Pub) - 26 Dez. 2024 |
Abstract
High-intensity grassland farming on peatlands is a profitable land use option in Western and Central Europe. This highly productive land use requires extensive drainage measures and regular grassland renewal. The drainage practice in particular substantially increases peat mineralisation, resulting in high emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG) carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Against this, a controlled raising of the water level (WL) by subsurface irrigation (SI) or ditch blocking (DB) has been proposed as a compromise between reducing the GHG emissions and maintaining grassland use on peatlands. We tested this assumption by measuring the full set of GHGs over four years for three water management systems (SI, DB, ditch drainage as control) in combination with three grassland renewal treatments (direct sowing, shallow ploughing, original sward as control) on an intensively used fen grassland in Northwest Germany. The mean annual WL was successfully raised by SI to −0.25 m below the soil surface, while the DB unit remained at a similar level (−0.37 m) as the control (−0.38 m). However, CO2 emissions were only marginally reduced by SI due to high variability between sites and years. Partially higher CO2 emissions may have been caused by a higher temperature sensitivity of the heterotrophic respiration at intermediate WLs. Partially lower CO2 emissions may reflect increased carbon uptake by root growth (Juncus effuses) rather than reduced peat mineralisation. The GHG mitigation potential of the SI system remained negligible in this study, as the small CO2 reduction was offset by increased CH4 and N2O emissions. The average emissions of the DB system were similar to those of the control unit. Both renewal treatments increased N2O emissions for approximately two years. Overall, our study results do not support the use of SI as a GHG mitigation measure for intensively used fen grasslands.
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
- Agrar- und Biowissenschaften (insg.)
- Forstwissenschaften
- Umweltwissenschaften (insg.)
- Globaler Wandel
- Agrar- und Biowissenschaften (insg.)
- Agronomie und Nutzpflanzenwissenschaften
- Erdkunde und Planetologie (insg.)
- Atmosphärenwissenschaften
Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung
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in: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Jahrgang 362, 110367, 01.03.2025.
Publikation: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift › Artikel › Forschung › Peer-Review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Wetter, but not wet enough
T2 - Limited greenhouse gas mitigation effects of subsurface irrigation and blocked ditches in an intensively cultivated grassland on fen peat
AU - Heller, Sebastian
AU - Tiemeyer, Bärbel
AU - Oehmke, Willi
AU - Gatersleben, Peter
AU - Dettmann, Ullrich
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024
PY - 2024/12/26
Y1 - 2024/12/26
N2 - High-intensity grassland farming on peatlands is a profitable land use option in Western and Central Europe. This highly productive land use requires extensive drainage measures and regular grassland renewal. The drainage practice in particular substantially increases peat mineralisation, resulting in high emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG) carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Against this, a controlled raising of the water level (WL) by subsurface irrigation (SI) or ditch blocking (DB) has been proposed as a compromise between reducing the GHG emissions and maintaining grassland use on peatlands. We tested this assumption by measuring the full set of GHGs over four years for three water management systems (SI, DB, ditch drainage as control) in combination with three grassland renewal treatments (direct sowing, shallow ploughing, original sward as control) on an intensively used fen grassland in Northwest Germany. The mean annual WL was successfully raised by SI to −0.25 m below the soil surface, while the DB unit remained at a similar level (−0.37 m) as the control (−0.38 m). However, CO2 emissions were only marginally reduced by SI due to high variability between sites and years. Partially higher CO2 emissions may have been caused by a higher temperature sensitivity of the heterotrophic respiration at intermediate WLs. Partially lower CO2 emissions may reflect increased carbon uptake by root growth (Juncus effuses) rather than reduced peat mineralisation. The GHG mitigation potential of the SI system remained negligible in this study, as the small CO2 reduction was offset by increased CH4 and N2O emissions. The average emissions of the DB system were similar to those of the control unit. Both renewal treatments increased N2O emissions for approximately two years. Overall, our study results do not support the use of SI as a GHG mitigation measure for intensively used fen grasslands.
AB - High-intensity grassland farming on peatlands is a profitable land use option in Western and Central Europe. This highly productive land use requires extensive drainage measures and regular grassland renewal. The drainage practice in particular substantially increases peat mineralisation, resulting in high emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG) carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Against this, a controlled raising of the water level (WL) by subsurface irrigation (SI) or ditch blocking (DB) has been proposed as a compromise between reducing the GHG emissions and maintaining grassland use on peatlands. We tested this assumption by measuring the full set of GHGs over four years for three water management systems (SI, DB, ditch drainage as control) in combination with three grassland renewal treatments (direct sowing, shallow ploughing, original sward as control) on an intensively used fen grassland in Northwest Germany. The mean annual WL was successfully raised by SI to −0.25 m below the soil surface, while the DB unit remained at a similar level (−0.37 m) as the control (−0.38 m). However, CO2 emissions were only marginally reduced by SI due to high variability between sites and years. Partially higher CO2 emissions may have been caused by a higher temperature sensitivity of the heterotrophic respiration at intermediate WLs. Partially lower CO2 emissions may reflect increased carbon uptake by root growth (Juncus effuses) rather than reduced peat mineralisation. The GHG mitigation potential of the SI system remained negligible in this study, as the small CO2 reduction was offset by increased CH4 and N2O emissions. The average emissions of the DB system were similar to those of the control unit. Both renewal treatments increased N2O emissions for approximately two years. Overall, our study results do not support the use of SI as a GHG mitigation measure for intensively used fen grasslands.
KW - Carbon dioxide
KW - Grassland renovation
KW - Histosol
KW - Nitrous oxide
KW - Peatland
KW - Water management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85213263075&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110367
DO - 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110367
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85213263075
VL - 362
JO - Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
JF - Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
SN - 0168-1923
M1 - 110367
ER -