Biogeochemical controls on methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide fluxes from deciduous forest soils in eastern Canada

Abstract

The exchange of the important trace gases, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2), between forested soils and the atmosphere can show great temporal and spatial variability. We measured the flux of these three gases over 2 years along catenas at two forested sites, to determine the important controls. Well-drained soils consumed atmospheric CH4, while poorly drained swamp soils embedded in depressions were a source. CH4 fluxes could be predicted primarily by temperature and moisture, and tree cover exerted an influence mainly through the creation of large soil porosity, leading to increased consumption rates. In contrast, there were very poor relationships between N2O fluxes and environmental variables, reflecting the complex interactions of microbial, edaphic, and N cycling processes, such as nitrification in well‐drained soils and denitrification in poorly drained soils, which led to N2O production (or consumption) in soils and hence larger variability. At the broad temporal and spatial scale, soil C:N ratio was a good predictor of N2O emission rates, through its influence upon N cycling processes. Soil CO2 emission rates showed less spatial and temporal variability, and were controlled by temperature and moisture. The source strength, in global warming potential of CH4 and N2O fluxes in CO2 equivalents, was reduced markedly when trace gas fluxes from 5 to 15% poorly drained soils were included in the net global warming potential calculation of whole forested watersheds. Soils drainage class integrates many of the biogeochemical processes controlling the flux of these gases providing a framework for extrapolating results.