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Carbon Balance and Spatial Variability of CO2 and CH4 Fluxes in a Sphagnum-Dominated Peatland in a Temperate Climate

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Abstract

Peatlands are a highly effective natural carbon sink. However, the future of the carbon stored in these ecosystems is still uncertain because of the pressure they undergo. An estimation of the peatland carbon balance shows whether the system functions as a carbon sink or a carbon source. La Guette peatland is a temperate Sphagnum-dominated peatland invaded by vascular plants. The studied site was hydrologically disturbed for years by a road crossing its southern part and draining water out of the system. Our aim was to estimate the main carbon fluxes and to calculate the carbon balance at the ecosystem scale. To reach this goal, CO2 and CH4 fluxes, DOC content as well as environmental variables were measured monthly for 2 years on 20 plots distributed across the site to take into account spatial variability. The peatland carbon balance was estimated using empirical models. Results showed that the CO2 fluxes were above 1000 gC m−2 yr−1. In 2013 and 2014 the peatland was a net C source to the atmosphere with an emission of 220 ± 33 gC m−2 yr−1. These results provide evidence that restoration should be performed in order to reduce the water losses and favour the Sphagnum-dominance of this peatland.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge P. Jacquet and C. Robert for their assistance in SPIRIT maintenance. We also thank E. Rowley-Jolivet for revision of the English version.

Funding

This work was supported by the Labex VOLTAIRE (ANR-10-LABX-100-01) and CARBIODIV project (2012–00073566).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université d’Orléans, CNRS, LPC2E, UMR 7328, 45071, Orléans, France

    Benoît D’Angelo & Christophe Guimbaud

  2. Université d’Orléans, CNRS, BRGM, ISTO, UMR 7327, 45071, Orléans, France

    Benoît D’Angelo, Fabien Leroy, Adrien Jacotot, Renata Zocatelli, Sébastien Gogo & Fatima Laggoun-Défarge

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  1. Benoît D’Angelo
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  2. Fabien Leroy
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  3. Christophe Guimbaud
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  6. Sébastien Gogo
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  7. Fatima Laggoun-Défarge
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Contributions

BD, SG and FLD designed the experiment.

BD, SG, CG, FL and FLM collected data.

BD, SG, CG, FL and FLM performed model simulations and data analysis.

BD and FL prepared the manuscript with contributions from all co-authors.

AJ and RZ reviewed and corrected the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Fabien Leroy.

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D’Angelo, B., Leroy, F., Guimbaud, C. et al. Carbon Balance and Spatial Variability of CO2 and CH4 Fluxes in a Sphagnum-Dominated Peatland in a Temperate Climate. Wetlands 41, 5 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-021-01411-y

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