Effect of temperature on production of CH4 and CO2 from Peat in a Natural and Flooded Boreal Forest Wetland

Flooding of a small boreal forest wetland (979) in northwestern Ontario, caused the formation of peat islands, which resulted in an approximate 10 °C increase in peat temperatures at a depth of 50 cm. Peat collected from the flooded wetland and a natural unflooded wetland was incubated anaerobically at temperatures of 4 °C, 15 °C, and 20 to 25 °C. Flooding of the wetland greatly increased CH4 production rates by increasing the ratio of CH4:CO2 produced from 979 peat (40% : 60%) compared to 632 peat (20% : 80%), at both preflood and postflood temperatures, likely due to the altered hydrological and geochemical conditions within the peat mats due to flooding. CH4 and CO2 production rates approximately tripled for every 10 °C temperature increase and may have been linked to to the metabolic rate of the methanogens or the fermentors independent of the substrate quality. Methane production rates from deep peat deposits within the islands were also significant and responded well to temperature increases despite peat 14C ages of 1000 years. Due to the large quantity of carbon stored within natural wetlands, artificial reservoirs may act as a significant and long term source of CH4 to the atmosphere.