Using Eddy Covariance Sensors to Quantify Carbon Metabolism of Peatlands: A Case Study in Turkey

Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide (CO2) was measured in a cool temperate peatland in northwestern Turkey on a continuous basis using eddy covariance (EC) sensors and multiple (non-)linear regression-M(N)LR-models. Our results showed that hourly NEE varied between −1.26 and 1.06 mg CO2 m−2 s−1, with a mean value of 0.11 mg CO2 m−2 s−1. Nighttime ecosystem respiration (RE) was on average measured as 0.23 ± 0.09 mg CO2 m−2 s−1. Two best-fit M(N)LR models estimated daytime RE as 0.64 ± 0.31 and 0.24 ± 0.05 mg CO2 m−2 s−1. Total RE as the sum of nighttime and daytime RE ranged from 0.47 to 0.87 mg CO2 m−2 s−1, thus yielding estimates of gross primary productivity (GPP) at −0.35 ± 0.18 and −0.74 ± 0.43 mg CO2 m−2 s−1. Use of EC sensors and M(N)LR models is one of the most direct ways to quantify turbulent CO2 exchanges among the soil, vegetation and atmosphere within the atmospheric boundary layer, as well as source and sink behaviors of ecosystems.