Nelius Foley, Matteo Sottocornola, Paul Leahy, Valerie Rondeau,
Ger Kiely
Hydrology, Micrometeorology and Climate Hydrology, Micrometeorology and Climate ChangeChange
University College Cork, Ireland Environmental Research Institute
GHG fluxes from Terrestrial Ecosystems
- peatlands, grasslands and forestry
1
Ecosystem Functioning
Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Ecosystem GHG Fluxes
CO2, N2O, CH4
River Water Quality- Nutrients (N & P)
Soil Hydrology- Soil Carbon stocks
Climate Change
Water Fluxes e.g. Streamflow; Evapouration
Ecosystem Fluxes & Climate Change
University College Cork, Ireland Environmental Research Institute
FLO
OD
S
WARMING
SPECIES LOSS
EUTROPHICATION
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
Water Chemistry
Soil Hydrology -
Soil Physics
Atmospheric Physics
EcologyHydrology
2
Some Past & Current Projects
1.EUTROPHICATION (2002-2005) – Phosphorus loss from soil to water
2.CELTICFLUX (2002-2013)– Measurement/modelling of GHG
fluxes
3.Flood Studies Update – Flood Event Analysis
4.Flood Warning Web – River Blackwater Live Flood Warning System
5.CarboEurope & NitroEurope – European Terrestrial Carbon and Nitrogen
Balance
6.N2O grass – N2O emissions from Irish grasslands
7.Hydrological Extremes – increasing extremes in precipitation and temperature
8.Soils Projects:
a. SoilC – Measurement and Modelling of Soil Carbon Stocks and Stock Changes in
Irish Soils
b. ForestC – Soil carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas fluxes in Irish forests
c. SoilH – Interactions of soil hydrology, land use and climate change and impacts
on soil quality
d. GrassC – Investigation of Carbon Sequestration potential in Grassland Soils
University College Cork, Ireland Environmental Research Institute
3
Hydromet
• Field experiments in different ecosystems (soils +biomass) – throughout Ireland
• Data analysis and modelling – using empirical and process based models
• Model climate change scenarios –e.g. effect of climate warming on Ecosystem productivity/respiration
Our laboratories are Irish ecosystems and catchments – grasslands, peatlands and
forests. University College Cork, Ireland Environmental Research Institute
4
Terrestrial Ecosystems• Grasslands
• Peatlands• Forestry
GHG Fluxes: CO2; N2O; CH4
Sign convention
AtmosphereAtmosphere
Land surface
+-
GHG Fluxes
5
SINK SOURCE
Land – Atmosphere interaction
Sink or Source of Carbon• CARBON SINK – means the ecosystem (soils + vegetation) removes
carbon (as CO2) from the atmosphere – computed over a timescale from 10 Hz to years
• CARBON SOURCE – means the ecosystem returns (emits) carbon to the atmosphere
Annual NEE = Net Ecosystem Exchange
= CO2 Uptake (mostly but not always)
NEE = PG – Rtot
PG = Gross PhotosynthesisRtot = Total Respiration (soil + plant) 0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48
night
day dayCO2 flux
Net Photosynthesis
Respiration
6
Peatlands Grasslands Forestry
AtmosphereAtmosphere
-CO2-CO2
-CO2Sink for CO2 (-)
+CH4
Source for N2O(+)
+CH4
+N2O
Source for CH4 (+) Animals
+N2O
7
UCC GHG flux sites
Glencar, Kerry.
Peatland
Dripsey, Cork.
Grassland and forestry
Chamber CO2
Chamber CH4
EC CO2
EC N2O
Modelling CO2
Modelling N2O
Since 2002 with EPA/EU funding
8
Global FLUXNET sites
9
We sample the turbulent motion between the biosphere and the atmosphere to determine the net difference of moving material (CO2, N2O, CH4).
We sample the 3D wind speed and GHG concentrations at 10Hz and then averaged over 30 min
w' = fluctuation of the vertical wind speed @ 10 Hz
ρc' = density fluctuation of CO2 @ 10 Hz
Eddy Covariance CO2 Flux measurements
3D-Sonic anemometer
LI-7500 Open Path
CO2/H2O gas analyser
'ρ'wF cc
10
Fc = averaged over 30 minutes
Field Instrumentation
University College Cork, Ireland Environmental Research Institute
11
Dripsey – Monthly Uptake – (NEE – Net Ecosystem Exchange)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
-150
-100
-50
0
50
100
NE
E (
g C
m-2
)
200320042005200620082009
Source- Emissions
Sink -Uptake
200
200
400
g CO2 m-2
Managed grassland - 3 farms – mix of grazing + silage fields
12
Dripsey Grassland CO2 fluxes 2002-2006
Range or interannual variability
2 to 3 T C/ha.yr
or
7 to 11 T CO2/ha.yr
1st May
GrowingSeason
Silage cutting and/or grazing
13
PEATLAND: monthly CO2 flux
EMISSIONS
UPTAKE
Sottocornola & Kiely, 2010. Agricultural and Forest Meteotology
14
PEATLAND: cumulative CO2 flux
0.16 TC/ha.yr
To
0.95 TC/ha.yr
Interannual variability
15
Grassland tower – forest sector, 2003 - 2009
Planting year-100 g C m-2 y-1
Recovery years~ -150 to -350
g C m-2 y-1
Grassland-500 g C m-2 y-1
Land Use Change (LUC)
Grassland to Broadleaf Forest – CO2 Exchange
16
Indicative annual biomass growth
Peatland(natural)
Grassland(managed)
Forestry(managed)
~0.25 mm
~ 500 mm
>1000 mm
17
GHG Fluxes - Position
• Today, we have the technology to continuously measure and quantify the GHG fluxes from the different ecosystems
• Globally, there are ~ 300 research EC sites with 3/4 Irish sites
• ICOS – International Carbon Observation System aims to put GHG fluxes on a similar footing to meteorological synoptic stations with real time publicly accessible data
We acknowledge the EPA for their continuous support, without which this work would not be possible.
Thank You18