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Meteorology and Greenhouse gases
Soil description and analysis
At the established sites for gas exchange measurements, soil properties will be investigated. Description and sampling for physical, chemical and microbiological laboratory analyses will be done by horizons from the surface down into the permanently saturated zone. The soil investigations will e.g. include degree of decomposition, fibre content, shrinking characteristics, flow characteristics and water retention, C/N ratio, nutrient status and red-ox.
Ground water level and quality (coordinated with sub project “hydrology and hydrogeology)
The ground water level will be monitored at each gas measurement site. Samples from defined depths after a predefined schedule and after special events will be analyzed for the chemical composition, e.g. pH, red-ox, chemical elements and compounds.
Soil analyses (chemical and physical) and water analysis will be done in Polish laboratories. Depending on the results of gas exchange measurements, appropriate microbial characterisation of selected peat samples will be done in Norway (e.g. methane production, methane oxidation, denitrification, sulphate reduction or iron and manganese reduction).
Gas sampling and analyses
CH4, CO2 and N2O emission will be measured using static closed chambers (Sitaula et al.,1992; Kløve et al., 2004). Aluminium collars are inserted into the peat and the chamber inserted into a water filled groove before each sampling run to ensure an air-tight seal. Gas is withdrawn with a hypodermic syringe and injected into air tight sampling bags. In order to reduce analysis cost samples can be pooled to obtain average flux estimates for defined periods of time (e.g. when weather is changing, a new sampling bag is used).
In the period from spring thaw to autumn frost, the gas sampling frequency will be according to predetermined set levels of the controlling parameters. Sampling must be carried out during critical periods such as: 1) long lasting, heavy rainfall in the growing season, 2) snow melt in spring, 3) periods with no or negligible precipitation. Samples will be pooled depending on the level of resolution that is wanted. During the winter season, if snow covered, the snow-gradient method of Alm et al. (1999) can be used.
From each selected point, gas samples from 3-5 replicates should be taken.
Local personnel will be trained for routine gas sampling and analysing.
Reporting, interpretation of the results
Reporting of the gas exchange subproject will be made according to the project programme. Methane emission from wetlands is primarily determined by the production of methane by the methanogenic bacteria and the oxidation of methane by methanotrophic bacteria. Methane production is primarily substrate dependent, while oxidation is dependent on the availability of oxygen. Overall, the oxidation of methane may be as important as the production of methane on methane emission from wetlands. The balance between these two processes at each location is determined by water level, temperature, pH, plant composition (substrate quality and quantity), photosynthetic activity and the interaction between these controlling parameters. However, methane fluxes may be influenced by denitrification, sulphate reduction or iron and manganese reduction. For the interpretations of the gas exchange results it is therefore necessary also to take into account results of several other subprojects (hydrology and hydrogeology, habitats and peat soils and vegetation related studies) and will be done in contacts with these project groups.