Influence of the conservation status on carbon balances of semiarid coastal Mediterranean wetlands
Permanent freshwater and brackish marshes are the typical wetland type of the Mediterranean Spanish coast. Historically, alterations to the original morphological and hydrological characteristics o...
Assessment of the Pressure Level over Lentic Waterbodies through the Estimation of Land Uses in the Catchment and Hydro-Morphological Alterations: The LUPLES Method
The features of lentic waterbodies largely depend on the surrounding environment. Mediterranean coastal lagoons have been historically altered, with their catchment being highly modified for agricultural, livestock, or urban uses. Changes in land uses induce pressures that impact the waterbodies and alter their ecological status. The objectives of this paper were: to develop a methodological approach (LUPLES: Land Uses for estimating Pressure Levels to approach the Ecological Status), to quantify the main pressures on the waterbodies and to forecast the possible impacts of these pressures on their ecological status. Corine-Land Cover maps and Geographic Information System technics were used…
Carbon metabolic rates and GHG emissions in different wetland types of the Ebro Delta
Deltaic wetlands are highly productive ecosystems, which characteristically can act as C-sinks. However, they are among the most threatened ecosystems, being very vulnerable to global change, and require special attention towards its conservation. Knowing their climate change mitigating potential, conservation measures should also be oriented with a climatic approach, to strengthen their regulatory services. In this work we studied the carbon biogeochemistry and the specific relevance of certain microbial guilds on carbon metabolisms of the three main types of deltaic wetlands located in the Ebro Delta, north-eastern Spain, as well as how they deal with human pressures and climate change ef…
Environmental and Human Drivers of Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Ebro Delta, Spain
Influence of the conservation status on carbon balances of semiarid coastal Mediterranean wetlands
Permanent freshwater and brackish marshes are the typical wetland type of the Mediterranean Spanish coast. Historically, alterations to the original morphological and hydrological characteristics of some these ecosystems have increased their trophic status, which could influence the carbon (C) balance, while other ecosystems remain close to their natural condition. In this work, the main processes related to the C cycle were studied in several Mediterranean coastal marshes with different degrees of alteration and in sites restored and managed in different ways. Carbon associated with greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) was determined using gas exchange methods for plankton, benthos, and sediment…