Journal of Agriculture
and Environmental Sciences

Comparison of Soil Moisture, Soil Temperature, and Micro-Gradient Change Influence on CO2 Efflux in Three Land Types within the Blackwater Conservation Area
Christopher Chappell, Andra Johnson

Abstract
Wetlands are distinctive ecosystems that provide a range of eco-benefits. With the global population continuing to increase and the need and/or desire to convert lands into usable development, wetlands have become more threatened. With the loss of wetland ecosystems, there goes carbon storage potential. The decline of forested wetlands in urban areas is often overlooked as a valued component for carbon storage. The location of this study is within a densely urbanized landscape in Louisiana's East Baton Rouge Parish. This study aims to understand how carbon dioxide soil efflux is influenced by soil temperature, moisture, and micro-gradient change in three different land types. The land types are upland hardwood, bottomland wetland, and scrub/shrub wetland. The study was conducted over a twenty-week period using the Li-Cor 8100 "closed chamber" method to measure soil carbon dioxide flux. The findings show that micro-gradient change does not affect soil CO2 efflux, but soil temperature and moisture are influential factors in soil gas exchange. This study addressed how understanding soil gas exchange and respiration of CO2 by soil organisms can contribute to climate mitigation of atmospheric carbon dioxide through improved wetland management practices.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jaes.v10n2a1