Should aquatic CO2 evasion be included in contemporary carbon budgets for peatland ecosystems?

Quantifying the sink strength of northern hemisphere peatlands requires measurements or realistic estimates of all major C flux terms. Whilst assessments of the net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) routinely include annual measurements of net ecosystem exchange and lateral fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), they rarely include estimates of evasion (degassing) of CO2 and CH4 from the water surface to the atmosphere, despite supersaturation being a consistent feature of peatland streams. Instantaneous gas exchange measurements from temperate UK peatland streams suggest that the CO2 evasion fluxes scaled to the whole catchment are a significant component of the aquatic C flux (23.3±6.9 g C m-2 catchment yr-1) and comparable in magnitude to the downstream DOC flux (29.1±12.9 g C m-2 catchment yr-1). Inclusion of the evasion flux term in the NECB would be justified if evaded CO2 and CH4 were isotopically “young” and derived from a “within-ecosystem” source, such as peat or in-stream processing of DOC. Derivation from “old” biogenic or geogenic sources would indicate a separate origin and age of C fixation, disconnected from the ecosystem accumulation rate that the NECB definition implies. Dual isotope analysis (δ13C and 14C) of evasion CO2 and DOC strongly suggest that the source and age of both are different and that evasion CO2 is largely derived from allochthonous (non-stream) sources. Whilst evasion is an important flux term relative to the other components of the NECB, isotopic data suggest that its source and age are peatland-specific. Evidence suggests that a component of the CO2-C evading from stream surfaces was originally fixed from the atmosphere at a significantly earlier time (pre-AD1955) than modern (post-AD1955) C fixation by photosynthesis

Drivers of long-term variability in CO2 net ecosystem exchange in a temperate peatland

Land–atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) in peatlands exhibits marked seasonal and inter-annual variability, which subsequently affects the carbon (C) sink strength of catchments across multiple temporal scales. Long-term studies are needed to fully capture the natural variability and therefore identify the key hydrometeorological drivers in the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2. Since 2002, NEE has been measured continuously by eddy-covariance at Auchencorth Moss, a temperate lowland peatland in central Scotland. Hence this is one of the longest peatland NEE studies to date. For 11 years, the site was a consistent, yet variable, atmospheric CO2 sink ranging from −5.2 to −135.9 g CO2-C m−2 yr−1 (mean of −64.1 ± 33.6 g CO2-C m−2 yr−1). Inter-annual variability in NEE was positively correlated to the length of the growing season. Mean winter air temperature explained 87% of the inter-annual variability in the sink strength of the following summer, indicating an effect of winter climate on local phenology. Ecosystem respiration (Reco) was enhanced by drought, which also depressed gross primary productivity (GPP). The CO2 uptake rate during the growing season was comparable to three other sites with long-term NEE records; however, the emission rate during the dormant season was significantly higher. To summarise, the NEE of the peatland studied is modulated by two dominant factors: - phenology of the plant community, which is driven by winter air temperature and impacts photosynthetic potential and net CO2 uptake during the growing season (colder winters are linked to lower summer NEE), - water table level, which enhanced soil respiration and decreased GPP during dry spells. Although summer dry spells were sporadic during the study period, the positive effects of the current climatic trend towards milder winters on the site's CO2 sink strength could be offset by changes in precipitation patterns especially during the growing season

Biogeochemistry of “pristine” freshwater stream and lake systems in the western Canadian Arctic

Climate change poses a substantial threat to the stability of the Arctic terrestrial carbon (C) pool as warmer air temperatures thaw permafrost and deepen the seasonally-thawed active layer of soils and sediments. Enhanced water flow through this layer may accelerate the transport of C and major cations and anions to streams and lakes. These act as important conduits and reactors for dissolved C within the terrestrial C cycle. It is important for studies to consider these processes in small headwater catchments, which have been identified as hotspots of rapid mineralisation of C sourced from ancient permafrost thaw. In order to better understand the role of inland waters in terrestrial C cycling we characterised the biogeochemistry of the freshwater systems in a c. 14 km2 study area in the western Canadian Arctic. Sampling took place during the snow-free seasons of 2013 and 2014 for major inorganic solutes, dissolved organic and inorganic C (DOC and DIC, respectively), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) concentrations from three water type groups: lakes, polygonal pools and streams. These groups displayed differing biogeochemical signatures, indicative of contrasting biogeochemical controls. However, none of the groups showed strong signals of enhanced permafrost thaw during the study seasons. The mean annual air temperature in the region has increased by more than 2.5 °C since 1970, and continued warming will likely affect the aquatic biogeochemistry. This study provides important baseline data for comparison with future studies in a warming Arctic

Peatland pools are tightly coupled to the contemporary carbon cycle

Peatlands are globally important stores of soil carbon (C) formed over millennial timescales but are at risk of destabilization by human and climate disturbance. Pools are ubiquitous features of many peatlands and can contain very high concentrations of C mobilized in dissolved and particulate organic form and as the greenhouses gases carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). The radiocarbon content (14C) of these aquatic C forms tells us whether pool C is generated by contemporary primary production or from destabilized C released from deep peat layers where it was previously stored for millennia. We present novel 14C and stable C (δ13C) isotope data from 97 aquatic samples across six peatland pool locations in the United Kingdom with a focus on dissolved and particulate organic C and dissolved CO2. Our observations cover two distinct pool types: natural peatland pools and those formed by ditch blocking efforts to rewet peatlands (restoration pools). The pools were dominated by contemporary C, with the majority of C (~50%–75%) in all forms being younger than 300 years old. Both pool types readily transform and decompose organic C in the water column and emit CO2 to the atmosphere, though mixing with the atmosphere and subsequent CO2 emissions was more evident in natural pools. Our results show little evidence of destabilization of deep, old C in natural or restoration pools, despite the presence of substantial millennial-aged C in the surrounding peat. One possible exception is CH4 ebullition (bubbling), with our observations showing that millennial-aged C can be emitted from peatland pools via this pathway. Our results suggest that restoration pools formed by ditch blocking are effective at preventing the release of deep, old C from rewetted peatlands via aquatic export

Aquatic carbon and GHG export from a permafrost catchment; identifying source areas and primary flow paths

The aquatic pathway is increasingly being recognized as an important component of landscape scale greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets. Due to low temperatures and short residence times limiting in-stream production in northern headwater catchments, much of the exported carbon is likely to be allochthonous, transported via throughflow to the surface drainage system. Identifying sources and primary flow pathways is therefore essential in understanding and predicting changes in the aquatic flux magnitude. Arctic landscapes are now widely recognised as being particularly vulnerable to climate driven changes. The HYDRA project (“Permafrost catchments in transition: hydrological controls on carbon cycling and greenhouse gas budgets”) aims to understand the fundamental role that hydrological processes play in regulating landscape-scale carbon fluxes, and predict how changes in vegetation and active layer depth in permafrost environments influence the delivery and export of aquatic carbon. In this study we present aquatic concentrations and fluxes of carbon and GHG species collected across two field seasons (2013, 2014) from an arctic headwater catchment in northern Canada. Measured species include dissolved organic (DOC) and inorganic carbon (DIC), CO2, CH4 and N2O. Measurements were made across a range of freshwater types within the tundra landscape, including lakes, ice-wedge polygons, and the ‘Siksik’ stream which drains the (c.a. 1 km2) primary study catchment. A nested sub-catchment approach was used along the ‘Siksik’ stream; ‘snapshot’ sampling of eight points along the stream length allowed specific vegetation communities to be targeted to assess individually their contribution to aquatic export. A combination of stable isotopes and major ion concentrations measured at each sampling point provide additional information to trace source areas and flow paths within the main study catchment. Catchment scale evasion and downstream export were calculated and an initial comparison between the relative importance of different water body types presented

Star clusters near and far; tracing star formation across cosmic time

© 2020 Springer-Verlag. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00690-x.Star clusters are fundamental units of stellar feedback and unique tracers of their host galactic properties. In this review, we will first focus on their constituents, i.e.\ detailed insight into their stellar populations and their surrounding ionised, warm, neutral, and molecular gas. We, then, move beyond the Local Group to review star cluster populations at various evolutionary stages, and in diverse galactic environmental conditions accessible in the local Universe. At high redshift, where conditions for cluster formation and evolution are more extreme, we are only able to observe the integrated light of a handful of objects that we believe will become globular clusters. We therefore discuss how numerical and analytical methods, informed by the observed properties of cluster populations in the local Universe, are used to develop sophisticated simulations potentially capable of disentangling the genetic map of galaxy formation and assembly that is carried by globular cluster populations.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Do riparian plants fix CO2 lost by evasion from surface waters? An investigation using carbon isotopes

Rivers and streams in many parts of the world contain high concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide, which is lost to the atmosphere by evasion (outgassing). Recent methodological advances now enable the carbon isotopic composition of this evaded CO2 to be measured directly, with early results from peatland streams showing it to be depleted in 13C relative to the atmosphere. The first direct measurements of the radiocarbon age of evaded CO2 for a stream draining a peatland site in the United Kingdom covered a large range, ranging from modern to &#x3E;1400 yr BP. We investigated whether a proportion of the carbon fixed by plants growing adjacent to the stream was derived from evasion; this would have implications for the cycling of carbon in such streams, and lead to riparian plants having older, rather than contemporary, 14C ages. 13C analysis of riparian plants at the site suggested that up to 20% of the carbon they fixed was derived from evasion. Although the 14C content of the same samples suggested a similar proportion of plant carbon was derived from evaded CO2, the uncertainty in these estimates was greater. Fixation of evaded CO2 was greatest in plants growing within 1 m of the stream. Although the results for this site suggest a small amount of CO2 lost by evasion from the stream surface is incorporated in plant material, it may be a more important factor at other sites characterized by higher evasion rates, lower wind speeds, and different stream bank morphology.</p

Measurements of CO2 and CH4 evasion from UK peatland headwater streams

Peatland headwater streams are consistently supersaturated with respect to gaseous C and are known to degas CO2 and CH4 directly to the atmosphere. Using a combination of injection of a purposeful gas tracer (propane) and a soluble tracer (NaCl) we carried out 49 measurements of the gas transfer coefficient on 12 representative stream reaches to quantify the gas transfer rates of CO2 and CH4 in headwater (1st–3rd order)streams draining six UK peatlands. Thesewere compared to measured stream reach physical variables, such as discharge and water travel time. Whilst we found that evasion rates were highly variable in space and time, KCO2 (gas transfer coefficient of CO2) was positively related to discharge. Individual study sites showed a high degree of variability in gas transfer rates; at all 49 sites median/mean values for KCO2 were 0.087/0.157 and KCH4 0.092/0.176 min-1. Median/mean instantaneous CO2 and CH4 evasion rates were 133/367 and 0.22/1.45 lg C m-2 s-1, respectively. Methane evasion rates were therefore more than two orders of magnitude lower than CO2, with CH4 invasion (rather than evasion) measured on 37% of occasions. Our gas flux measurements from peatland headwater streams are higher than values previously used to estimate landscape scale fluxes and emphasise the importance of the evasion flux term in the overall carbon balance

A direct method to measure 14CO₂ lost by evasion from surface waters

Recent methodological advances in the use of zeolite molecular sieves for measuring the isotopic signature of CO2 have provided the opportunity to make direct measurements of 14CO2 in various field situations. We linked a portable molecular sieve/pump/IRGA system to a floating chamber to demonstrate the potential of the method to quantify the isotopic signature (δ13C and 14C) of CO2 lost by evasion (outgassing) from surface waters. The system, which was tested on a peatland stream in Scotland, involved 1) an initial period of scrubbing ambient CO2 from the chamber, 2) a period of CO2 build-up caused by surface water evasion, and 3) a final period of CO2 collection by the molecular sieve cartridge. The field test at 2 different sites on the same drainage system suggested that the results were reproducible in terms of δ13C and 14C values. These represent the first direct measurements of the isotopic signature of CO2 lost by evasion from water surfaces