The Relationship Between Hydrogeomorphic Settings and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Soils and Stems in Western Kentucky’s Bottomland Hardwood Forests
Project Abstract
Bottomland hardwood (BLH) ecosystems sequester substantial amounts of carbon, yet recent studies focus on the ability of their soils and vegetation to also emit carbon as greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere. Studies have observed differences in stem GHG exchange between extremes in hydrogeomorphic (HGM) setting, such as between dry uplands and inundated wetlands. We are investigating how GHG emissions from tree stems and soils vary across a narrower scope of HGM settings within BLHs, specifically: pond edge, lake edge, and channel. In each setting we are measuring gas flux rates, ~ monthly (starting in June 2023), from six soil chambers and six stems of Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), a common species found across all HGMs. Additionally, we are investigating how gas diffusion rates vary from stems at two heights (40 cm and 120 cm above the ground). We hypothesize that GHG emissions vary as a function of height, with emissions decreasing with increasing stem height. We also hypothesize that GHG emissions vary as a function of HGM setting. We predict higher stem CH4 emissions in HGM settings that have higher organic matter content, a longer duration of inundation and higher temperatures compared to HGM settings with colder and shorter inundation periods. Understanding these relationships will enable accurate carbon cycle modeling in a warming world, as well as provide optimal T. distichum planting recommendations for future land managers.
Conference
Conference Name (full, no abbreviations): 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Geophysical Union
Dates: Monday, December 11th –Friday, December 15th, 2022
Sponsoring Body: American Geophysical Union
Conference Website: https://www.agu.org/fall-meeting
Funding Type
Travel Grant
Academic College
Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology
Area/Major/Minor
Biology, Watershed Science Concentration
Degree
Masters in Biological Sciences
Classification
Graduate
Name
Jessica B. Moon, PhD
Academic College
Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology
Recommended Citation
Miles, Marissa M.; Moon, Jessica B. PhD; Ross, Skylar; Kahatiwada, Kabi Raj; El Masri, Bassil PhD; Runkle, Benjamin PhD; and Stinchcomb, Gary PhD, "The Relationship Between Hydrogeomorphic Settings and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Soils and Stems in Western Kentucky’s Bottomland Hardwood Forests" (2023). ORCA Travel & Research Grants. 153.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/orcagrants/153