The future of carbon storage in calcareous fens depends on the balance between groundwater discharge and air temperature

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985939%3A_____%2F23%3A00573586" target="_blank" >RIV/67985939:_____/23:00573586 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00216224:14310/23:00131501 RIV/62156489:43210/23:43923693

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2023.107350" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2023.107350</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2023.107350" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.catena.2023.107350</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

The future of carbon storage in calcareous fens depends on the balance between groundwater discharge and air temperature

Original language description

Calcareous spring fens accumulate carbon-rich deposits through carbonate precipitation and slow organic-matter decomposition, which can be affected by a lowering water table. Ongoing climate change is altering the carbon balance and threatening the biota of these vulnerable ecosystems. Rising air temperatures intensify carbonate precipitation and may accelerate decomposition, which is also influenced by soil nutrients and soil temperature. These relationships complicate predictions of carbon storage in calcareous fens. Here, we measured summer mass loss and carbonate accumulation at 57 spots in 19 calcareous spring fens in the Western Carpathians using commercial green tea and rooibos, i.e., the tea bag method. Decomposition rates were determined by mass losses corrected for leaching. Structural equation modelling was used to test the causal relationships between air and soil temperature, water table, soil nutrient concentrations, and mass loss or carbonate accumulation. The results demonstrate that a lowering water table increases soil nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium concentrations. Water table and air temperature positively affected carbonate accumulation for both types of tea bags. Rooibos decomposition rate decreased with increasing water table and decreasing soil phosphorus concentration. Overall, the role of hydrology appeared crucial for global change predictions. If increased precipitation or groundwater recharge keeps the water table high, as predicted for some areas, the rising temperature will intensify carbonate precipitation and shift the ecosystem from peat to tufa-forming. While this scenario is more conducive to maintaining biodiversity and sustainability of existing carbon sinks than an alternative scenario predicting decreasing discharge due to decreasing precipitation and increasing evapotranspiration, it depends on preserving and maintaining fens and natural landscape hydrology. This study demonstrates the utility of the tea bag method to test drivers of contrasting carbon accumulation processes in groundwater-dependent wetlands.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA19-01775S" target="_blank" >GA19-01775S: Current and future diversity of European fens in a changing world</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2023

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Catena

ISSN

0341-8162

e-ISSN

1872-6887

Volume of the periodical

231

Issue of the periodical within the volume

October

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

10

Pages from-to

107350

UT code for WoS article

001039241800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85164288909