The FluxWIN project studies non-growing season greenhouse gas fluxes in northern ecosystems using an automated chamber system. The system measures methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide fluxes from three microsites (upland forest, dry bog, wet bog) along a moisture gradient in Finland. Preliminary spring 2022 results show the wet bog emitting methane after thaw while the upland forest shows net methane oxidation. Carbon dioxide fluxes vary between sites in response to thaw. The high-frequency measurements help understand emission dynamics and improve process models.
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The role of non-growing season processes in CH4 and N2O budgets
1. FluxWIN
Lona van Delden
The role of non-growing season processes in CH4 and
N2O budgets in pristine northern ecosystems
Lona van Delden (lona.van.delden@awi.de)1, Katharina Jentzsch1, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila2, Timo Vesala3, Claire Treat1
1 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany
2 Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
3 Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
2. FluxWIN – Research Focus
Lona van Delden
• Non-growing and shoulder seasons
• CH4 & N2O measurements are limited (Treat et al., 2018)
• Boreal zone
• Freeze-thaw dynamics (Pirk et al., 2015)
• Annual greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets
• Improve process-based models
Finland
3. FluxWIN – Methods
Lona van Delden
• Automated static chamber
system
• 3 micro sites along moisture
gradient
• 12 chambers
• 1 opaque chamber per micro
site for ecosystem respiration
• In-situ laser gas analysis
(Picarro G2508)
• 10 min closure time
• Continuous CH4, N2O & CO2
in high frequency
4. FluxWIN – Methods
Lona van Delden
• Environmental monitoring in
Near-Real-Time
• Seasonal soil gas & water
biogeochemistry
• Plant Root Simulators all year
around
• Phenological cameras
• In-situ vegetation removal
experiments
• Incubation experiments
5. FluxWIN – Site
Lona van Delden
• Boreal Zone
• All year round,
freeze- thaw
dynamics
• Ecosystem along a
moisture gradient
6. FluxWIN – Upland Forest micro site
Lona van Delden
• Drained upland
Scots Pine forest
• Moss and lichen
understory
• Podzol
• Profile depth
⁓60 cm until
bedrock
7. FluxWIN – Dry Bog micro site
Lona van Delden
• Intermediate
shrubby peat bog
• Histosol
• moderately to highly
decomposed peat
• Gap in peat about
20 cm depth due to
strongly varying,
deep water table
• Water table: -25 cm
8. FluxWIN – Wet Bog Site
Lona van Delden
• Sphagnum
moss
dominated peat
bog, slightly
decomposed
• Histosol
• Water table
range: + 1 cm to
– 8 cm
• ⁓ 4 m depth
9. FluxWIN – Spring thaw period 2022
Lona van Delden
Forest
thaw
Wet bog
thaw
• Mean daily air temperatures above 0 C starting April 7th
• 10 cm soil temperature: warmest at dry bog, coldest in forest, latest
at wet bog
10. FluxWIN – CH4 flux, Spring 2022
Lona van Delden
• Daily averages based on 4 closure periods per chamber
• CH4 emissions from the wet bog after thaw (~May 5th)
• Net CH4 oxidation from upland forest
2 cm 10 cm
Thaw
10 cm
Net release
Net uptake
Wet bog thaw
11. FluxWIN – N2O flux, Spring 2022
Lona van Delden
• N2O within detection limit (near zero = no flux), closure time long
enough?
12. FluxWIN – CO2 exchange, Spring 2022
Lona van Delden
• CO2 flux from 3 light chambers
• Ecosystem respiration (ER) from 1 opaque chamber per micro site
• After thaw, wet bog mosses shorter lag time, resulting in some CO2
uptake while the other sites are releasing CO2
Net release
Net uptake
13. FluxWIN – Temperature response of CH4, ER
Lona van Delden
• Sporadic emissions around 0 °C
• Temperature response differs by micro-site
14. FluxWIN – Outlook
Lona van Delden
• Captured spring thaw in 2022
• CO2 & CH4 flux respond as soil temperature increases
• Varies by micro-site
• System fine tuning ongoing - e.g. N2O detection limit
• Can detect CH4 oxidation in upland forest!
• Further analysis of soil biogeochemistry & pore water soluble gases
Conclusion – High-resolution automated chamber measurements are
suitable to elucidate possible emission events
15. Thank you
Lona van Delden
AWI FluxWIN Website
(https://www.awi.de/en/science/junior-groups/fluxwin.html)
AWI Permafrost Region GHG Group
https://www.awi.de/en/science/geosciences/permafrost-
research/research-focus/permafrost-region-greenhouse-
gases.html
ERC grant number 851181