Name
Carbon cycling and storage in a temperate freshwater marsh in eastern Ontario
Date & Time
Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM
Sophie Burgess
Description
The large storage capacity of wetland carbon (C) is attributed to high rates of photosynthesis and extremely low decomposition rates, limiting organic C from re-entering the atmosphere. Compared to other wetlands, freshwater marsh C stocks and C accumulation rates are inadequately quantified despite their potential for net C mitigation. We explored how C is stored and cycled within and from a Typha-dominated freshwater temperate marsh, in eastern Ontario. We quantified C and nitrogen (N) concentrations in water, Typha above and below ground biomass, soil, and peat samples to estimate contributions from each storage pool across a spatial gradient through the 2022 growing season. Sample C:N was also used as a potential indicator of the degree of organic matter decomposition. For the growing season, water dissolved organic C (DOC) was 43.4 mg-L-1, peaking in late august at 47.4 mg-L-1. We expect that this trend is associated with Typha growth more so than with upstream and downstream DOC fluxes. We will also present spatial and temporal changes in DOC and total dissolved N along with results of biomass and soil C and N. We expect soil to have the largest C store within the marsh with a decreasing C:N from the open water to the denser Typha stands, indicative of greater decomposition. Our findings will help identify potential contributions to the net sink of a marsh, necessary for understanding future C storage in this rapidly changing environment.
Location Name
Cedar
Full Address
Banff Park Lodge Resort Hotel & Conference Centre
201 Lynx St
Banff AB T1L 1K5
Canada
Abstract
The large storage capacity of wetland carbon (C) is attributed to high rates of photosynthesis and extremely low decomposition rates, limiting organic C from re-entering the atmosphere. Compared to other wetlands, freshwater marsh C stocks and C accumulation rates are inadequately quantified despite their potential for net C mitigation. We explored how C is stored and cycled within and from a Typha-dominated freshwater temperate marsh, in eastern Ontario. We quantified C and nitrogen (N) concentrations in water, Typha above and below ground biomass, soil, and peat samples to estimate contributions from each storage pool across a spatial gradient through the 2022 growing season. Sample C:N was also used as a potential indicator of the degree of organic matter decomposition. For the growing season, water dissolved organic C (DOC) was 43.4 mg-L-1, peaking in late august at 47.4 mg-L-1. We expect that this trend is associated with Typha growth more so than with upstream and downstream DOC fluxes. We will also present spatial and temporal changes in DOC and total dissolved N along with results of biomass and soil C and N. We expect soil to have the largest C store within the marsh with a decreasing C:N from the open water to the denser Typha stands, indicative of greater decomposition. Our findings will help identify potential contributions to the net sink of a marsh, necessary for understanding future C storage in this rapidly changing environment.
Session Type
Breakout Session