Summary
This field study in the Belgian Dijle valley examined how floodplain hydrology and land use regulate greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon dynamics across three water regime zones. Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration varied predictably with moisture conditions, and methane emissions were constrained primarily to poorly drained sites. The findings suggest that strategic floodplain rewetting—maintaining water tables close to but below the soil surface—could reduce both CO₂ emissions and their temperature sensitivity by limiting microbial activity.
UK applicability
UK floodplain management could benefit from these findings, particularly in lowland river valleys where drainage history mirrors Belgium's context. However, UK soils often differ in parent material and current land management; local validation would be needed to optimise rewetting strategies for regional GHG mitigation goals.
Key measures
Soil CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes; temperature sensitivity (Q10); soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and C/N ratio; thermal properties via differential scanning calorimetry (Energy Density and T50); C-specific basal respiration (R10)
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes across three hydrological zones during the wettest year on record, and characterised soil carbon quality using thermal properties and elemental analysis. Temperature sensitivity (Q10) of respiration varied with soil moisture and water regime, with CH₄ contributing substantially to total emissions only under high water table conditions.
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