Effects of natural rewetting on soil respiration and temperature sensitivity (Q10) under contrasting water table regimes: A case study in a Belgian floodplain - 2026
Effects of natural rewetting on soil respiration and temperature sensitivity (Q10) under contrasting water table regimes: A case study in a Belgian floodplain
Floodplain; Land use; Rewetting; Soil moisture; Soil respiration; Temperature sensitivity (Q10); Forestry; Global and Planetary Change; Agronomy and Crop Science; Atmospheric Science
Abstract :
[en] Floodplains store large amounts of soil carbon, but hydrological changes strongly regulate its release into the atmosphere. Floodplains in Belgium are representative of temperate ecosystems extensively modified by drainage and land-use change, yet the combined effects of hydrology and land use on soil respiration remain unknown. In the Dijle valley, Belgium, we measured in situ soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions across a freely drained plateau and two floodplain zones characterized by moderately and poorly drained soils, under representative land uses including forest, grassland, cropland, and marsh. Measurements conducted during the wettest year on record were used to quantify basal respiration (R10) and assess the effects of rewetting and drainage on temperature sensitivity (Q10). Additional measurements assessed potential methane (CH4) emissions. Basal respiration followed the order: poorly drained < freely drained < moderately drained for forest and grassland (forests: 0.65, 1.16, and 1.51 µmol CO2 m-2 s-1; grasslands: 1.13, 1.61, and 1.88 µmol CO2 m-2 s-1, respectively). Overall, Q10 was not affected by soil moisture on the plateau. In moderately drained sites, Q10 peaked at intermediate moisture and strongly decreased at higher moisture, while in the poorly drained sites, Q10 increased with decreasing soil moisture. CH4 contributed substantially to combined greenhouse gas emissions only in the poorly drained sites. These results suggest that maintaining water table below but close to the soil surface through rewetting could be an effective management strategy to reduce floodplain soil CO2 emissions and their temperature sensitivity.
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Kovacs, Nicolas ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département GxABT > Echanges Eau - Sol - Plantes
Colinet, Gilles ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département GxABT > Echanges Eau - Sol - Plantes
Longdoz, Bernard ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Biosystems Dynamics and Exchanges (BIODYNE)
Leifeld, Jens; Climate and Agriculture Group, Agroscope, Zurich, Switzerland
Lettens, Suzanna; Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Brussels, Belgium
Raman, Maud; Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Brussels, Belgium
Vancampenhout, Karen; Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Division Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven campus Geel, Geel, Belgium
Verstraeten, Gert; Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Division of Geography and Tourism, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Meersmans, Jeroen ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département GxABT > Echanges Eau - Sol - Plantes
Language :
English
Title :
Effects of natural rewetting on soil respiration and temperature sensitivity (Q10) under contrasting water table regimes: A case study in a Belgian floodplain
ANB - Agentschap Natuur en Bos BELSPO - Federal Public Planning Service Science
Funding text :
This research was funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) in the framework of the Belgian Research Action through Interdisciplinary Networks (BRAIN-BE 2.0) programme (RECARBON project, contract number: B2/223/P1/RECARBON). We sincerely thank the Institute of Nature and Forest Research (INBO), the Agency for Nature and Forests (ANB), and the farmers involved for their kindness and for granting access to their land. The lead author would also like to thank Raquel Zapatero Cuadrado for her advice on figure design and color selection. Finally, we thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments that helped improve the manuscript.
Ateeq-Ur-Rehman, S., Bi, Q., Swinnen, W., Broothaerts, N., Verstraeten, G., Hydro-morphodynamic modelling of the Dijle Valley (Belgium) under land-use/land-cover changes. Proceedings of the XXVIIIth TELEMAC User Conference, 2022.
Bahn, M., Rodeghiero, M., Anderson-Dunn, M., et al. Soil respiration in European grasslands in relation to climate and assimilate supply. Ecosystems 11 (2008), 1352–1367, 10.1007/s10021-008-9198-0.
Burnham, K.P., Anderson, D.R., Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical Information-Theoretic Approach, 2. ed., [4. printing]. ed. 2010, Springer, New York, NY, 10.1007/b97636.
Buysse, P., Bodson, B., Debacq, A., De Ligne, A., Heinesch, B., Manise, T., Moureaux, C., Aubinet, M., Carbon budget measurement over 12 years at a crop production site in the silty-loam region in Belgium. Agric. For. Meteorol. 246 (2017), 241–255, 10.1016/j.agrformet.2017.07.004.
Buysse, P., Flechard, C.R., Hamon, Y., Viaud, V., Impacts of water regime and land-use on soil CO2 efflux in a small temperate agricultural catchment. Biogeochemistry 130 (2016), 267–288, 10.1007/s10533-016-0256-y.
Canteral, K.F.F., Vicentini, M.E., De Lucena, W.B., et al. Machine learning for prediction of soil CO2 emission in tropical forests in the Brazilian Cerrado. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 30 (2023), 61052–61071, 10.1007/s11356-023-26824-6.
Cao, M., Wang, F., Ma, S., Geng, H., Sun, K., Recent advances on greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands: mechanism, global warming potential, and environmental drivers. Environ. Poll., 355, 2024, 124204, 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124204.
Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2025. European State of the climate 2024. https://doi.org/10.24381/14J9-S541.
Craine, J.M., Gelderman, T.M., Soil moisture controls on temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon decomposition for a mesic grassland. Soil Biol. Biochem. 43 (2011), 455–457, 10.1016/j.soilbio.2010.10.011.
Curiel Yuste, J., Janssens, I.A., Carrara, A., Ceulemans, R., Annual Q10 of soil respiration reflects plant phenological patterns as well as temperature sensitivity. Glob. Chang. Biol. 10 (2004), 161–169, 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2003.00727.x.
Davidson, E.A., Janssens, I.A., Luo, Y., On the variability of respiration in terrestrial ecosystems: moving beyond Q10. Glob. Chang. Biol. 12 (2006), 154–164, 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.01065.x.
Davidson, E.A., Janssens, I.A., Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition and feedbacks to climate change. Nature 440 (2006), 165–173, 10.1038/nature04514.
Delogu, E., Le Dantec, V., Mordelet, P., Ceschia, E., Aubinet, M., Buysse, P., Pattey, E., Improved methodology to quantify the temperature sensitivity of the soil heterotrophic respiration in croplands. Geoderma 296 (2017), 18–29, 10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.02.017.
Deng, Q., Zhou, G., Liu, J., Liu, S., Duan, H., Zhang, D., Responses of soil respiration to elevated carbon dioxide and nitrogen addition in young subtropical forest ecosystems in China. Biogeosciences 7 (2010), 315–328, 10.5194/bg-7-315-2010.
Fairbairn, L., Rezanezhad, F., Gharasoo, M., Parsons, C.T., Macrae, M.L., Slowinski, S., Van Cappellen, P., Relationship between soil CO2 fluxes and soil moisture: anaerobic sources explain fluxes at high water content. Geoderma, 434, 2023, 116493, 10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116493.
Forster, P., Storelvmo, T., Armour, K., et al. The Earth's Energy Budget, Climate Feedbacks, and Climate Sensitivity. 1st ed., 2023, Cambridge University Press, 10.1017/9781009157896.
Fu, Y., Zheng, Z., Yu, G., Hu, Z., Sun, X., Shi, P., Wang, Y., Zhao, X., Environmental influences on carbon dioxide fluxes over three grassland ecosystems in China. Biogeosciences 6 (2009), 2879–2893, 10.5194/bg-6-2879-2009.
Gaumont-Guay, D., Black, T.A., Barr, A.G., Jassal, R.S., Nesic, Z., Biophysical controls on rhizospheric and heterotrophic components of soil respiration in a boreal black spruce stand. Tree Physiol. 28 (2008), 161–171, 10.1093/treephys/28.2.161.
Giasson, M.A., Ellison, A.M., Bowden, R.D., et al. Soil respiration in a northeastern US temperate forest: a 22-year synthesis. Ecosphere 4 (2013), 1–28, 10.1890/ES13.00183.1.
Heger, A., Becker, J.N., Vásconez, L.K., Holl, D., Eschenbach, A., Soil texture and PH affect soil CO2 efflux in hardwood floodplain forests of the lower middle Elbe River. Eur. J. Soil Sci., 74, 2023, e13331, 10.1111/ejss.13331.
Heger, A., Becker, J.N., Vásconez Navas, L.K., Eschenbach, A., Factors controlling soil organic carbon stocks in hardwood floodplain forests of the lower middle Elbe River. Geoderma, 404, 2021, 115389, 10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115389.
Hsieh, I.F., Kume, T., Lin, M.Y., Cheng, C.H., Miki, T., Characteristics of soil CO2 efflux under an invasive species, Moso bamboo, in forests of central Taiwan. Trees 30 (2016), 1749–1759, 10.1007/s00468-016-1405-6.
IPCC. Weather and climate extreme events in a changing climate, in: climate Change 2021: the physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2023, Cambridge University Press, 1513–1766, 10.1017/9781009157896.
Jassal, R.S., Black, T.A., Novak, M.D., Gaumont-Guay, D., Nesic, Z., Effect of soil water stress on soil respiration and its temperature sensitivity in an 18-year-old temperate Douglas-fir stand. Glob. Chang. Biol. 14 (2008), 1305–1318, 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01573.x.
Jiang, B., Zhang, J., Zhou, G., et al. Wetland CH4 and CO2 emissions show opposite temperature dependencies along global climate gradients. Catena (Amst.), 248, 2025, 108557, 10.1016/j.catena.2024.108557.
Jonard, M., André, F., Jonard, F., Mouton, N., Procès, P., Ponette, Q., Soil carbon dioxide efflux in pure and mixed stands of oak and beech. Ann. For. Sci. 64 (2007), 141–150, 10.1051/forest:2006098.
Karamouz, M., Noori, N., Moridi, A., Ahmadi, A., Evaluation of floodplain variability considering impacts of climate change. Hydrol. Process. 25 (2011), 90–103, 10.1002/hyp.7822.
Keiluweit, M., Wanzek, T., Kleber, M., Nico, P., Fendorf, S., Anaerobic microsites have an unaccounted role in soil carbon stabilization. Nat. Commun., 8, 2017, 1771, 10.1038/s41467-017-01406-6.
Kochiieru, M., Veršulienė, A., Feiza, V., Feizienė, D., Trend for soil CO2 efflux in grassland and forest land in relation with meteorological conditions and root parameters. Sustainability, 15, 2023, 7193, 10.3390/su15097193.
Laubach, J., Flesch, T.K., Ammann, C., et al. Methane emissions from animal agriculture: micrometeorological solutions for challenging measurement situations. Agric. For. Meteorol., 350, 2024, 109971, 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.109971.
Lawrence, D.M., Fisher, R.A., Koven, C.D., et al. The community land model version 5: description of new features, benchmarking, and impact of forcing uncertainty. J. Adv. Model. Earth. Syst. 11 (2019), 4245–4287, 10.1029/2018MS001583.
Li, J., Pendall, E., Dijkstra, F.A., Nie, M., Root effects on the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration depend on climatic condition and ecosystem type. Soil Till. Res., 199, 2020, 104574, 10.1016/j.still.2020.104574.
Li, J., Yuan, J., Dong, Y., Liu, D., Miao, Y., Yang, C., Ding, W., Radiative forcing of methane emission completely offsets net carbon dioxide uptake in a temperate freshwater marsh from the present to future. Agric. For. Meteorol., 346, 2024, 109889, 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.109889.
Meersmans, J., De Ridder, F., Canters, F., De Baets, S., Van Molle, M., A multiple regression approach to assess the spatial distribution of soil Organic Carbon (SOC) at the regional scale (Flanders, Belgium). Geoderma 143 (2008), 1–13, 10.1016/j.geoderma.2007.08.025.
Meersmans, J., Van Wesemael, B., Goidts, E., Van Molle, M., De Baets, S., De Ridder, F., Spatial analysis of soil organic carbon evolution in Belgian croplands and grasslands, 1960-2006. Glob. Chang. Biol. 17 (2011), 466–479, 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02183.x.
Meyer, N., Welp, G., Amelung, W., The temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil respiration: controlling factors and spatial prediction at regional scale based on environmental soil classes. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycl. 32 (2018), 306–323, 10.1002/2017GB005644.
Miao, G., Noormets, A., Domec, J., Trettin, C.C., McNulty, S.G., Sun, G., King, J.S., The effect of water table fluctuation on soil respiration in a lower coastal plain forested wetland in the southeastern U.S. JGR Biogeosci. 118 (2013), 1748–1762, 10.1002/2013JG002354.
Mills, R., Glanville, H., McGovern, S., Emmett, B., Jones, D.L., Soil respiration across three contrasting ecosystem types: comparison of two portable IRGA systems. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 174 (2011), 532–535, 10.1002/jpln.201000183.
Ngao, J., Epron, D., Delpierre, N., Bréda, N., Granier, A., Longdoz, B., Spatial variability of soil CO2 efflux linked to soil parameters and ecosystem characteristics in a temperate beech forest. Agric. For. Meteorol. 154-155 (2012), 136–146, 10.1016/j.agrformet.2011.11.003.
Ottoy, S., Truyers, E., De Block, M., et al. Digital mapping of soil organic carbon hotspots in nature conservation areas in the region of Flanders, Belgium. Geoderm. Region., 30, 2022, e00531, 10.1016/j.geodrs.2022.e00531.
Patel, K.F., Fansler, S.J., Campbell, T.P., et al. Soil texture and environmental conditions influence the biogeochemical responses of soils to drought and flooding. Commun. Earth. Environ., 2, 2021, 127, 10.1038/s43247-021-00198-4.
Qiu, C., Zhu, D., Ciais, P., et al. ORCHIDEE-PEAT (revision 4596), a model for northern peatland CO2, water, and energy fluxes on daily to annual scales. Geosci. Model. Dev. 11 (2018), 497–519, 10.5194/gmd-11-497-2018.
Radu, D.D., Duval, T.P., Impact of rainfall regime on methane flux from a cool temperate fen depends on vegetation cover. Ecol. Eng. 114 (2018), 76–87, 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.06.047.
Rafalska, A., Walkiewicz, A., Osborne, B., Klumpp, K., Bieganowski, A., Variation in methane uptake by grassland soils in the context of climate change – A review of effects and mechanisms. Sci. Total Environ., 871, 2023, 162127, 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162127.
Raich, J.W., Tufekcioglu, A., Vegetation and soil respiration: correlations and controls. Biogeochemistry 48 (2000), 71–90, 10.1023/A:1006112000616.
Ratcliffe, J.L., Campbell, D.I., Clarkson, B.R., Wall, A.M., Schipper, L.A., Water table fluctuations control CO2 exchange in wet and dry bogs through different mechanisms. Sci. Total Environ. 655 (2019), 1037–1046, 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.151.
Reichstein, M., Falge, E., Baldocchi, D., et al. On the separation of net ecosystem exchange into assimilation and ecosystem respiration: review and improved algorithm. Glob. Chang. Biol. 11 (2005), 1424–1439, 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.001002.x.
Reichstein, M., Subke, J., Angeli, A.C., Tenhunen, J.D., Does the temperature sensitivity of decomposition of soil organic matter depend upon water content, soil horizon, or incubation time?. Glob. Chang. Biol. 11 (2005), 1754–1767, 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.001010.x.
Roslev, P., King, G.M., Regulation of methane oxidation in a freshwater wetland by water table changes and anoxia. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 19 (1996), 105–115, 10.1111/j.1574-6941.1996.tb00203.x.
Rousk, J., Brangarí, C., Do the respiration pulses induced by drying–rewetting matter for the soil–atmosphere carbon balance?. Glob. Chang. Biol. 28 (2022), 3486–3488, 10.1111/gcb.16163.
Schindlbacher, A., Heinzle, J., Gollobich, G., Wanek, W., Michel, K., Kitzler, B., Soil greenhouse gas fluxes in floodplain forests of the Danube National Park: effects of flooding and soil microclimate. Biogeochemistry 159 (2022), 193–213, 10.1007/s10533-022-00921-z.
Schoofs, J., Vandelanotte, K., Van De Vyver, H., Van Der Sichel, L., Vandersteene, M., Serras, F., Van Lipzig, N.P.M., Van Schaeybroeck, B., Dynamic and thermodynamic contributions to future extreme-rainfall intensification: a case study for Belgium. Int. J. Climatol., 46, 2026, e70192, 10.1002/joc.70192.
Skopp, J., Jawson, M.D., Doran, J.W., Steady-State aerobic microbial activity as a function of soil water content. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 54 (1990), 1619–1625, 10.2136/sssaj1990.03615995005400060018x.
Sutfin, N.A., Wohl, E.E., Dwire, K.A., Banking carbon: a review of organic carbon storage and physical factors influencing retention in floodplains and riparian ecosystems. Earth Surf. Process. Landf. 41 (2016), 38–60, 10.1002/esp.3857.
Swinnen, W., Broothaerts, N., Hoevers, R., Verstraeten, G., Anthropogenic legacy effects control sediment and organic carbon storage in temperate river floodplains. Catena (Amst.), 195, 2020, 104897, 10.1016/j.catena.2020.104897.
Swinnen, W., Daniëls, T., Maurer, E., Broothaerts, N., Verstraeten, G., Geomorphic controls on floodplain sediment and soil organic carbon storage in a Scottish mountain river. Earth Surf. Process. Landf. 45 (2020), 207–223, 10.1002/esp.4729.
Tan, S., Ni, X., Yue, K., Liao, S., Wu, F., Increased precipitation differentially changed soil CO2 efflux in arid and humid areas. Geoderma, 388, 2021, 114946, 10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.114946.
Tersago, R., Van Eupen, C., Meersmans, J., Aernouts, B., Truyers, E., Verstraeten, G., Desie, E., Vancampenhout, K., Spatial variation in carbon effluxes mediated by grazing–Soil interactions in a semi-natural floodplain grassland of north-eastern Belgium. Soil. Use Manage., 41, 2025, e70159, 10.1111/sum.70159.
Tiemeyer, B., Freibauer, A., Borraz, E.A., et al. A new methodology for organic soils in national greenhouse gas inventories: data synthesis, derivation and application. Ecol. Indic., 109, 2020, 105838, 10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105838.
Van Der Sluijs, P., De Gruijter, J.J., Water table classes: a method to describe seasonal fluctuation and duration of water tables on Dutch soil maps. Agric. Water. Manage. 10 (1985), 109–125, 10.1016/0378-3774(85)90001-0.
Van Heesen, H.C., Presentation of the seasonal fluctuation of the water table on soil maps. Geoderma 4 (1970), 257–278, 10.1016/0016-7061(70)90006-6.
Van Ranst, E., Sys, C., Eenduidige legende voor de digitale bodemkaart van Vlaanderen (schaal 1:20 000). VLM, Op CD-Rom, 2000.
Védère, C., Lebrun, M., Honvault, N., et al. How does soil water status influence the fate of soil organic matter? A review of processes across scales. Earth. Sci. Rev., 234, 2022, 104214, 10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104214.
Wagle, P., Kakani, V.G., Confounding effects of soil moisture on the relationship between ecosystem respiration and soil temperature in Switchgrass. Bioenerg. Res. 7 (2014), 789–798, 10.1007/s12155-014-9434-8.
Wen, X.F., Yu, G.R., Sun, X.M., et al. Soil moisture effect on the temperature dependence of ecosystem respiration in a subtropical Pinus plantation of southeastern China. Agric. For. Meteorol. 137 (2006), 166–175, 10.1016/j.agrformet.2006.02.005.
Wohl, E., An integrative conceptualization of floodplain storage. Rev. Geophys., 59, 2021, e2020RG000724, 10.1029/2020RG000724.
Xu, L., Baldocchi, D.D., Tang, J., How soil moisture, rain pulses, and growth alter the response of ecosystem respiration to temperature. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycl., 18, 2004, 2004GB002281, 10.1029/2004GB002281.
Xu, M., Zhang, J., Zhang, Z., et al. Global responses of wetland methane emissions to extreme temperature and precipitation. Environ. Res., 252, 2024, 118907, 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118907.
Xu, M., Qi, Y., Spatial and seasonal variations of Q10 determined by soil respiration measurements at a Sierra Nevadan Forest. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycl. 15 (2001), 687–696, 10.1029/2000GB001365.
Zhao, B., Zhang, W., Wang, P., Gustafson, A., Jørgensen, C.J., Elberling, B., Optimized wetland rewetting strategies can control methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen responses to water table fluctuations. Commun. Earth. Environ., 7, 2026, 109, 10.1038/s43247-025-03163-7.
Zhao, M., Han, G., Li, J., Song, W., Qu, W., Eller, F., Wang, J., Jiang, C., Responses of soil CO2 and CH4 emissions to changing water table level in a coastal wetland. J. Clean. Prod., 269, 2020, 122316, 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122316.
Zheng, X., Guo, J., Song, W., Feng, J., Lin, G., Methane emission from Mangrove wetland soils is marginal but can Be stimulated significantly by anthropogenic activities. Forests, 9, 2018, 738, 10.3390/f9120738.
Zheng, Z.M., Yu, G.R., Fu, Y.L., Wang, Y.S., Sun, X.M., Wang, Y.H., Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration is affected by prevailing climatic conditions and soil organic carbon content: a trans-China based case study. Soil Biol. Biochem. 41 (2009), 1531–1540, 10.1016/j.soilbio.2009.04.013.
Zhou, W., Hui, D., Shen, W., Effects of soil moisture on the temperature sensitivity of soil heterotrophic respiration: a laboratory incubation study. PLoS One, 9, 2014, e92531, 10.1371/journal.pone.0092531.
