Effects of water level alteration on carbon cycling in peatlands

Figures & data

Figure 1. Conceptual model showing the responses of peatland C cycling to water level fluctuation. Water level is the key factor in regulating peatland C cycling for its strong impact on vegetation and microbial activities. C balance in peatlands could affect climate change, which in turn influences peatland C storage via water level alteration.

Table 1. Observations of CO₂ emission with water level shifts in peatland studies.

Site	Peatland type	Length	The control water level	Treatment	Result	Reference
Alaska, US	Bog	30 days	At the soil surface	15 cm decline	+200% in CO2 flux	Funk et al. 1994
Colorado, US	Fen	Two summers	1–5 cm above the soil surface	1–10 cm decline	+96% in CO2 emissions	Chimner and Cooper 2003b
Ontario, Canada	Acidic and oligotrophic peatland	220 days	2–6 cm below the moss cover	30–34 cm decline	+12-64% in CO2 flux	Blodau, Basiliko, and Moore 2004
Quebec, Canada	Poor fen	8 years	9.8 cm above the moss cover	20 cm decline	+54% in ER	Strack et al. 2006a
Co Kerry, Ireland	Blanket bog	1 years	1–14 cm below the soil surface	7–10 cm decline	+10-50% in ER	Laine et al. 2009
				6 cm rise	−35-45% in ER
Edinburgh, Scotland	Ombrotrophic peatland	14 weeks	0–5 cm below the soil surface	25–35 cm decline	+1-35% in ER	Dinsmore et al. 2009
Michigan, US	Poor fen	~80 years	26.2 cm above the land surface	15.8 cm decline	+25% in ER	Ballantyne et al. 2014
				11.2 cm rise	−13% in ER
Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China	Alpine peatland	7 weeks	2.6 cm above the soil surface	26.5 cm decline	+289% SCE	Wang et al. 2014b
Michigan, US	Bog and poor fen	>50 years	21.6 cm below the land surface	15.2 cm decline	+5% in ER	Chimner et al. 2016
				9.5 cm rise	−14% in ER
Zoige Plateau, China	Alpine peatland	4 years	At the soil surface	12 and 15 cm decline	+17% and +20% in SCE	Cao et al. 2017b
Kalimantan, Indonesia	Ombrotrophic peatland	4 months	11–24 cm above the soil surface	40 cm decline	+40-75% in CO2 flux	Murdiyarso, Saragi-Sasmito, and Rustini 2019
Norfolk, England	Fen	11 weeks	50 cm below the soil surface	20 cm rise	−31% in ecosystem CO2 loss	Matysek et al. 2019

Length the duration of water level alteration

ER ecosystem respiration

SCE soil CO₂ emission

Table 2. Observations of CH₄ emission with water level shifts in peatland studies.

Site	Peatland type	Length	The control water level	Treatment	Result	Reference
Minnesota, US	Bog	5 months	6 cm below the peat surface	6 cm rise	+250% in CH4 flux	Dise, Gorham, and Verry 1993
Utrecht, Netherlands	Fen	6–7 weeks	At the peat surface	10 cm decline	−75-91% in CH4 emissions	Aerts and Ludwig 1997
Southern and middle Finland	Bog and fen	30–50 years	1.1–39 cm below the soil surface	10 cm decline	−70% and −45% in CH4 emissions in bog and fen, respectively	Nykanen et al. 1998
Quebec, Canada	Poor fen	8 years	14–20 cm above the peat surface	5–28 cm decline	−55% in CH4 emissions	Strack, Waddington, and Tuittila 2004
Ontario, Canada	Acidic and Oligotrophic peatland	220 days	2–6 cm below the moss cover	30–34 cm decline	−73-99% in CH4 flux	Blodau, Basiliko, and Moore 2004
Alaska, US	Rich fen	4 months	0–14 cm below the peat surface	5 cm decline	−44% in CH4 emissons	Turetsky et al. 2008
				9 cm rise	+17% in CH4 emissons
Edinburgh, Scotland	Ombrotrophic peatland	14 weeks	0–5 cm below the soil surface	25–35 cm decline	−97-98% in CH4 emissions	Dinsmore et al. 2009
Co Kerry, Ireland	Blanket bog	1 years	1–14 cm below the soil surface	7–10 cm decline	−9-60% in CH4 emissions	Laine et al. 2009
Rovaniemi, Finland	Mesotrophic Pine fen	>40 years	15 cm below the soil surface	6 and 11 cm decline	−70% and −96% in CH4 emissions	Yrjala et al. 2011
Michigan, US	Poor fen	~80 years	26.2 cm above the land surface	15.8 cm decline	−67% in CH4 emissions	Ballantyne et al. 2014
				11.2 cm rise	+65% in CH4 emissions
Migneint, Wales	Blanket bog	>70 years	1 cm below the soil surface	4.5–13.7 cm decline	−10%-47% in CH4 flux	Cooper et al. 2014
Central and northern Finland	Oligo-mesotrophic sedge fen	3 years	5–12 cm below the soil surface	3–9 cm decline	−13-57% in CH4 flux	Pearson et al. 2015
Michigan, US	Bog and poor fen	>50 years	21.6 cm below the land surface	15.2 cm decline	−68% in CH4 emissions	Chimner et al. 2016
				9.5 cm rise	+16% in CH4 emissions
Nørre Å river valley, Denmark	Fen	18 weeks	30–40 cm below the soil surface	10–40 cm rise	+489% in CH4 emissions	Karki et al. 2016

Length the duration of water level alteration

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