Effect of Drought and Management on C and N Cycling in Created Wetlands in the Great Lakes Watershed

Session: Poster session

Sonia Huang, Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]
Thulfiqar Al Graiti, Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]
Taylor Williams, Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]
Michael McGowen, Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]
Nathan Eddingsaas, Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]
Carmody McCalley, Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]
Anna Tyler, Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]

Abstract

The impact of climate events, such as drought, on management outcomes in created wetlands have been poorly characterized. Wetland creation in the Great Lakes Watershed fosters delivery of valuable ecosystem services (carbon sequestration, nutrient removal, flood control, etc.), however, wetland success can be highly sensitive to climate events that impact hydrology. We utilized ongoing experiments in created wetlands that look at how management (invasive species removal, organic matter addition) impacts key ecosystem functions, including greenhouse gas emissions, carbon sequestration, and denitrification and investigated the influence of drought on the outcomes of management. Hydrology, both spatial patterns established during wetland creation and temporal patterns associated with precipitation, exerted overarching control over nutrient dynamics and carbon cycling. Responses to management were also linked to hydro-period, while organic matter addition increased soil organic matter to more closely replicate natural systems, it had the largest impact on C and N cycling when soils were saturated. Environmental conditions that led to unsaturated soil reduced C sequestration, nutrient removal and greenhouse gas production, especially methane. This highlights the role that increased climate variability will play in determining the outcome of wetland creation and the importance of considering climate resiliency when making management decisions in created wetlands.

1. Keyword
wetlands

2. Keyword
nutrients

3. Keyword
drought