Drivers of high rates of carbon burial in a riverine-influenced freshwater marsh in the Long Point Walsingham Priority Place of southern Ontario
Reported rates of soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in wetlands are markedly higher over recent versus longer timescales, caused by SOC losses through decomposition, paleoenvironmental changes, and recent increases in sedimentation or biomass production. Explaining changes in SOC sequestration...
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| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | FACETS |
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| Online Access: | https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2024-0044 |
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| author | Amanda L. Loder Adam Gillespie Omid Haeri Ardakani Cecilia Cordero Oviedo Sarah A. Finkelstein |
| author_facet | Amanda L. Loder Adam Gillespie Omid Haeri Ardakani Cecilia Cordero Oviedo Sarah A. Finkelstein |
| author_sort | Amanda L. Loder |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Reported rates of soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in wetlands are markedly higher over recent versus longer timescales, caused by SOC losses through decomposition, paleoenvironmental changes, and recent increases in sedimentation or biomass production. Explaining changes in SOC sequestration rates and determining the time horizon over which high rates are sustained are both critical for accurately measuring the potential for wetland conservation as a natural climate solution. Here, we present analyses on a 4-m core from a riverine-influenced marsh in Big Creek watershed, southern Ontario, to track changes in SOC accumulation regimes. Since wetland initiation ∼5700 years ago, mean long-term (pre-industrial) rates of SOC accumulation were 24 g C m−2 year−1, and recent rates up to four times higher. We demonstrate that elevated recent rates of SOC accumulation are largely explained by more labile carbon in surficial soils, and are sustained for less than a century before transitioning to slower burial rates of predominantly recalcitrant organic matter. However, there are exceptions to this trend, such as when labile SOC was buried intermittently during Holocene Lake Erie highstands. Our research underscores the importance of organic matter type and hydroclimatic context in predicting long-term potential for marsh soils to stabilize atmospheric carbon. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3fa07fd3e9f34e9ba1f53f6acdbcd501 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2371-1671 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | FACETS |
| spelling | doaj-art-3fa07fd3e9f34e9ba1f53f6acdbcd5012025-02-04T14:53:26ZengCanadian Science PublishingFACETS2371-16712025-01-011011410.1139/facets-2024-0044Drivers of high rates of carbon burial in a riverine-influenced freshwater marsh in the Long Point Walsingham Priority Place of southern OntarioAmanda L. Loder0Adam Gillespie1Omid Haeri Ardakani2Cecilia Cordero Oviedo3Sarah A. Finkelstein4Department of Geography & Planning, University of Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, CanadaSchool of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, ON, CanadaNatural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary, AB, CanadaDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, ON, CanadaDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, ON, CanadaReported rates of soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in wetlands are markedly higher over recent versus longer timescales, caused by SOC losses through decomposition, paleoenvironmental changes, and recent increases in sedimentation or biomass production. Explaining changes in SOC sequestration rates and determining the time horizon over which high rates are sustained are both critical for accurately measuring the potential for wetland conservation as a natural climate solution. Here, we present analyses on a 4-m core from a riverine-influenced marsh in Big Creek watershed, southern Ontario, to track changes in SOC accumulation regimes. Since wetland initiation ∼5700 years ago, mean long-term (pre-industrial) rates of SOC accumulation were 24 g C m−2 year−1, and recent rates up to four times higher. We demonstrate that elevated recent rates of SOC accumulation are largely explained by more labile carbon in surficial soils, and are sustained for less than a century before transitioning to slower burial rates of predominantly recalcitrant organic matter. However, there are exceptions to this trend, such as when labile SOC was buried intermittently during Holocene Lake Erie highstands. Our research underscores the importance of organic matter type and hydroclimatic context in predicting long-term potential for marsh soils to stabilize atmospheric carbon.https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2024-0044soil carbon sequestrationprogrammed pyrolysisnature-based climate solutionswetlandsHoloceneLaurentian Great Lakes |
| spellingShingle | Amanda L. Loder Adam Gillespie Omid Haeri Ardakani Cecilia Cordero Oviedo Sarah A. Finkelstein Drivers of high rates of carbon burial in a riverine-influenced freshwater marsh in the Long Point Walsingham Priority Place of southern Ontario FACETS soil carbon sequestration programmed pyrolysis nature-based climate solutions wetlands Holocene Laurentian Great Lakes |
| title | Drivers of high rates of carbon burial in a riverine-influenced freshwater marsh in the Long Point Walsingham Priority Place of southern Ontario |
| title_full | Drivers of high rates of carbon burial in a riverine-influenced freshwater marsh in the Long Point Walsingham Priority Place of southern Ontario |
| title_fullStr | Drivers of high rates of carbon burial in a riverine-influenced freshwater marsh in the Long Point Walsingham Priority Place of southern Ontario |
| title_full_unstemmed | Drivers of high rates of carbon burial in a riverine-influenced freshwater marsh in the Long Point Walsingham Priority Place of southern Ontario |
| title_short | Drivers of high rates of carbon burial in a riverine-influenced freshwater marsh in the Long Point Walsingham Priority Place of southern Ontario |
| title_sort | drivers of high rates of carbon burial in a riverine influenced freshwater marsh in the long point walsingham priority place of southern ontario |
| topic | soil carbon sequestration programmed pyrolysis nature-based climate solutions wetlands Holocene Laurentian Great Lakes |
| url | https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2024-0044 |
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