Articles | Volume 25, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3691-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3691-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
30 Jun 2021
Research article |
| 30 Jun 2021
| 30 Jun 2021
Time lags of nitrate, chloride, and tritium in streams assessed by dynamic groundwater flow tracking in a lowland landscape
Vince P. Kaandorp
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Subsurface and Groundwater Systems, Deltares, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the
Netherlands
Hans Peter Broers
TNO Geological Survey of the Netherlands, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Ype van der Velde
Faculty of Science, Earth and Climate, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Joachim Rozemeijer
Department of Subsurface and Groundwater Systems, Deltares, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Perry G. B. de Louw
Department of Subsurface and Groundwater Systems, Deltares, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Soil Physics and Land Management, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2450, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2450, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Model Development (GMD).
Short summary
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Peatlands either store carbon or release greenhouse gases depending on climate, water levels, and land management. We present an improved peatland model to better understand these processes. We validate the model at two sites in the Netherlands. The model reproduced observed carbon dioxide and methane exchange. This model can help to improve understanding of peatland emissions in response to environmental change.
Laurent Bataille, Bart Kruijt, Alexander Buzacott, Wilma Jans, Wietse Franssen, Jan Biermann, Hanne Berghuis, Quint van Giersbergen, Tom Heuts, Reinder Nouta, Niek Bosma, Ron Lootens, Hong Zhao, Merit van den Berg, Ype van de Velde, Christian Fritz, Gilles Erkens, and Ronald Hutjes
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
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Drained peatlands release large amounts of carbon dioxide, and raising water levels is widely proposed to reduce these emissions. We measured the yearly carbon balance at twenty sites across Dutch peatlands. Higher water tables were linked to lower emissions, a weak but fairly consistent effect. Site-to-site differences outweighed water level: land use and a clay layer over the peat strongly shaped emissions, so raising water levels works only if each site's intrinsic features are considered.
Anna Luisa Hemshorn de Sánchez, Wouter R. Berghuijs, Anne F. Van Loon, Dimmie Hendriks, and Ype van der Velde
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 2667–2683, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-2667-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-2667-2026, 2026
Short summary
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This study explores how mean and extreme river flows respond to annual climate variability. Maps show where river flow is more sensitive to climate in Europe. Maximum flows are generally the most sensitive and minimum flows the least sensitive to precipitation changes. Sensitivities are influenced by many factors like climate, soil, and terrain. These findings improve our understanding of how rivers respond to climate and can support water management and disaster risk reduction across Europe.
Laura M. van der Poel, Laurent V. Bataille, Bart Kruijt, Wietse Franssen, Wilma Jans, Jan Biermann, Anne Rietman, Alex J. V. Buzacott, Ype van der Velde, Ruben Boelens, and Ronald W. A. Hutjes
Biogeosciences, 22, 3867–3898, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3867-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3867-2025, 2025
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We combine two types of carbon dioxide (CO2) data from Dutch peatlands in a machine learning model: from fixed measurement towers and from a light research aircraft. We find that emissions increase with deeper water table depths (WTDs) by 4.6 tons of CO2 per hectare per year for each 10 cm deeper WTD on average. The effect is stronger in winter than in summer and varies between locations. This variability should be taken into account when developing mitigation measures.
Ralf C. H. Aben, Daniël van de Craats, Jim Boonman, Stijn H. Peeters, Bart Vriend, Coline C. F. Boonman, Ype van der Velde, Gilles Erkens, and Merit van den Berg
Biogeosciences, 21, 4099–4118, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4099-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4099-2024, 2024
Short summary
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Drained peatlands cause high CO2 emissions. We assessed the effectiveness of subsurface water infiltration systems (WISs) in reducing CO2 emissions related to increases in water table depth (WTD) on 12 sites for up to 4 years. Results show WISs markedly reduced emissions by 2.1 t CO2-C ha-1 yr-1. The relationship between the amount of carbon above the WTD and CO2 emission was stronger than the relationship between WTD and emission. Long-term monitoring is crucial for accurate emission estimates.
Merit van den Berg, Thomas M. Gremmen, Renske J. E. Vroom, Jacobus van Huissteden, Jim Boonman, Corine J. A. van Huissteden, Ype van der Velde, Alfons J. P. Smolders, and Bas P. van de Riet
Biogeosciences, 21, 2669–2690, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2669-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2669-2024, 2024
Short summary
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Drained peatlands emit 3 % of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Paludiculture is a way to reduce CO2 emissions while at the same time generating an income for landowners. The side effect is the potentially high methane emissions. We found very high methane emissions for broadleaf cattail compared with narrowleaf cattail and water fern. The rewetting was, however, effective to stop CO2 emissions for all species. The highest potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions had narrowleaf cattail.
Tanya J. R. Lippmann, Ype van der Velde, Monique M. P. D. Heijmans, Han Dolman, Dimmie M. D. Hendriks, and Ko van Huissteden
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 6773–6804, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-6773-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-6773-2023, 2023
Short summary
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Vegetation is a critical component of carbon storage in peatlands but an often-overlooked concept in many peatland models. We developed a new model capable of simulating the response of vegetation to changing environments and management regimes. We evaluated the model against observed chamber data collected at two peatland sites. We found that daily air temperature, water level, harvest frequency and height, and vegetation composition drive methane and carbon dioxide emissions.
Alexa Marion Hinzman, Ylva Sjöberg, Steve W. Lyon, Wouter R. Berghuijs, and Ype van der Velde
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2391, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2391, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
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An Arctic catchment with permafrost responds in a linear fashion: water in=water out. As permafrost thaws, 9 of 10 nested catchments become more non-linear over time. We find upstream catchments have stronger streamflow seasonality and exhibit the most nonlinear storage-discharge relationships. Downstream catchments have the greatest increases in non-linearity over time. These long-term shifts in the storage-discharge relationship are not typically seen in current hydrological models.
Cindy Quik, Ype van der Velde, Jasper H. J. Candel, Luc Steinbuch, Roy van Beek, and Jakob Wallinga
Biogeosciences, 20, 695–718, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-695-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-695-2023, 2023
Short summary
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In NW Europe only parts of former peatlands remain. When these peatlands formed is not well known but relevant for questions on landscape, climate and archaeology. We investigated the age of Fochteloërveen, using radiocarbon dating and modelling. Results show that peat initiated at several sites 11 000–7000 years ago and expanded rapidly 5000 years ago. Our approach may ultimately be applied to model peat ages outside current remnants and provide a view of these lost landscapes.
Jim Boonman, Mariet M. Hefting, Corine J. A. van Huissteden, Merit van den Berg, Jacobus (Ko) van Huissteden, Gilles Erkens, Roel Melman, and Ype van der Velde
Biogeosciences, 19, 5707–5727, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5707-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5707-2022, 2022
Short summary
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Draining peat causes high CO2 emissions, and rewetting could potentially help solve this problem. In the dry year 2020 we measured that subsurface irrigation reduced CO2 emissions by 28 % and 83 % on two research sites. We modelled a peat parcel and found that the reduction depends on seepage and weather conditions and increases when using pressurized irrigation or maintaining high ditchwater levels. We found that soil temperature and moisture are suitable as indicators of peat CO2 emissions.
Tanya Juliette Rebecca Lippmann, Monique Heijmans, Han Dolman, Ype van der Velde, Dimmie Hendriks, and Ko van Huissteden
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2022-143, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2022-143, 2022
Preprint withdrawn
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To assess the impact of vegetation on GHG fluxes in peatlands, we developed a new model, Peatland-VU-NUCOM (PVN). These results showed that plant communities impact GHG emissions, indicating that plant community re-establishment is a critical component of peatland restoration. This is the first time that a peatland emissions model investigated the role of re-introducing peat forming vegetation on GHG emissions.
Yousef Albuhaisi, Ype van der Velde, and Sander Houweling
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2022-55, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2022-55, 2022
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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An important uncertainty in the modelling of methane emissions from natural wetlands is the wetland area. It is important to get the spatiotemporal covariance between the variables that drive methane emissions right for accurate quantification. Using high-resolution wetland and soil carbon maps, in combination with a simplified methane emission model that is coarsened in six steps from 0.005° to 1°, we find a strong relation between wetland emissions and the model resolution.
Thomas Janssen, Ype van der Velde, Florian Hofhansl, Sebastiaan Luyssaert, Kim Naudts, Bart Driessen, Katrin Fleischer, and Han Dolman
Biogeosciences, 18, 4445–4472, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4445-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4445-2021, 2021
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Satellite images show that the Amazon forest has greened up during past droughts. Measurements of tree stem growth and leaf litterfall upscaled using machine-learning algorithms show that leaf flushing at the onset of a drought results in canopy rejuvenation and green-up during drought while simultaneously trees excessively shed older leaves and tree stem growth declines. Canopy green-up during drought therefore does not necessarily point to enhanced tree growth and improved forest health.
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Short summary
We reconstructed historical and present-day tritium, chloride, and nitrate concentrations in stream water of a catchment using
land-use-based input curves and calculated travel times of groundwater. Parameters such as the unsaturated zone thickness, mean travel time, and input patterns determine time lags between inputs and in-stream concentrations. The timescale of the breakthrough of pollutants in streams is dependent on the location of pollution in a catchment.
We reconstructed historical and present-day tritium, chloride, and nitrate concentrations in...
