Seminar series nr 116 Winter Dynamics of the Greenhouse Gas Exchange in a Natural Bog

Northern peatlands are important in the context of the climate change. Since they comprise huge amounts of soil organic carbon and are found where the most significant greenhouse warming is predicted, they have the potential to exert major feedback effects on the global warming. Studies of the greenhouse gas exchange in northern peatlands have mainly focused on the growing season when the soil is thawed. But recently, attention has been drawn to the importance of winter processes in the estimations of global greenhouse gas budgets. In this study, fluxes of CO2, CH4 and N2O in a natural, nutrient-poor peatland (ombrotrophic bog) in southern Sweden were measured from February to April using a closed chamber technique. Mean fluxes during this time for CO2 and CH4 were 68.6 ± 9.9 (mean ± SEM) and 0.70 ± 0.06 mg m-2 h-1, respectively. Fluxes were significantly higher when the soil was thawed as compared to when it was frozen. Fluxes of CO2 and CH4 also correlate