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

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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

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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

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Peatlands Grasslands Forestry

AtmosphereAtmosphere

-CO2-CO2

-CO2Sink for CO2 (-)

+CH4

Source for N2O(+)

+CH4

+N2O

Source for CH4 (+) Animals

+N2O

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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

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Global FLUXNET sites

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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

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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

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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

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PEATLAND: monthly CO2 flux

EMISSIONS

UPTAKE

Sottocornola & Kiely, 2010. Agricultural and Forest Meteotology

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PEATLAND: cumulative CO2 flux

0.16 TC/ha.yr

To

0.95 TC/ha.yr

Interannual variability

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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

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Indicative annual biomass growth

Peatland(natural)

Grassland(managed)

Forestry(managed)

~0.25 mm

~ 500 mm

>1000 mm

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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