VEGETATION SYNTAXONOMY AND LAND MANAGEMENT EFFECT ON METHANE AND CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS FROM WETLANDS: A CASE STUDY FROM TIDAL SALT AND BRACKISH MARSH

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) emission from wetlands significantly contribute to climate change andglobal warming. The interaction between among vegetation type, various environmental factors, andmanagement regimes such as grazing and mowing is considered important in the calculation of CO 2 and CH 4 gasflux for an ecosystem. In this study, vegetation composition, CH 4 and CO 2 flux, soil characteristics, airtemperature and humidity from the brackish marsh and salt marsh wetland ecosystems on Terschelling Islandin Northern Holland were measured. We aimed to investigate the relationship between vegetation composition, grazing, and mowing on CH 4 and CO 2 emission. The abundance and number of plant species werehigher in brackish than in salt marsh. Grazing was found to influence species richness, 39 species being found ina grazed site of brackish marsh compared to 31 species in a similar ungrazed site. CO 2 fluxes in salt and brackishmarsh were found to be similar while CH 4 flux in the salt marsh was found to be lower than in the brackishmarsh. Within the brackish marsh, a higher methane emission was recorded in the grazed zone. However theoverall effect of grazing and mowing was found to be negligible for CH 4 flux but is suggested to clearly reduceCO 2 flux in both the salt and brackish marsh

Groundwater in a future climate : The CLIWAT Handbook

This handbook is a product of the CLIWAT project (CLImate change and groundWATer) highlighting the main results and recommendations of the project for planners and practitioners at local, regional and national levels. CLIWAT is a transnational project in the North Sea region dealing with groundwater mapping and adaptive planning and solutions for the coming challenges caused by climate change. The project aims at bridging EU-science and policy on climate change impact and adaptation in the North Sea Region at a practical level. The research and analysis covers a broad spectrum of geoscience and focuses on gaining a better understanding of the effects of climate change on the quantity and quality of groundwater. The project started in September 2008 and ends in March 2012. The project involves sixteen partners from Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. The handbook is complimented by a number of scientific papers from all pilot areas in a special issue of the on-line journal “Hydrology and Earth System Sciences” with the title “Assessing the impact of climate change for adaptive water management in coastal regions”