Restored wetlands are increasingly promoted as nature-based solutions, yet their roles as nutrient sinks and greenhouse gas (GHG) sources remain under-characterized. Wetlands can transform and sequester carbon (C) and other nutrients, but these functions are strongly regulated by hydrologic conditions. Periods of water-level fluctuations alter aerobic and anaerobic environments, influencing emissions of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O), though the magnitude and drivers of these responses vary across systems. We quantified GHG emissions and sediment carbon storage across eight small edge-of-field wetlands restored in southwestern Ontario. Open-water areas ranged from 0.14 to 0.78 ha, with contributing catchments spanning 3 to 63.6 ha. Fluxes of CH4, CO2, and N2O were measured using static chamber techniques across spatial wetland gradients, including permanently inundated open-water centers, vegetated edges, and seasonally inundated transition zones. Sediment cores were collected to estimate carbon stocks and accumulation, enabling integration of long-term sediment storage with atmospheric fluxes toward a more complete carbon mass balance. To evaluate hydrologic controls, field measurements were paired with drone-derived inundation mapping to characterize water-level dynamics and their influence on GHG emissions and carbon sequestration. These data were interpolated across space and time to identify key environmental drivers. Our findings highlight pronounced spatial variability in GHG emissions from small restored agricultural wetlands, with implications for assessing their net climate benefits and guiding wetland restoration design and management.
Halifax NS
Canada