{"id":{"repo_id":"oxford-brookes","oai_identifier":"tle:453136f7-b166-4b18-a2f6-7e731a81efe6:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/oxford-brookes/tle:453136f7-b166-4b18-a2f6-7e731a81efe6:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1","repository":{"repo_id":"oxford-brookes","name":"Oxford Brookes University","base_url":"https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/oai"},"display":{"title":"THE CARBON DYNAMICS OF CONTRASTING FRESHWATER PONDS","abstract":"Lake carbon-storage is an emerging climate and environmental research theme. Small lakes are increasingly recognised as receiving disproportionately high carbon-inputs potentially causing rapid carbon-emissions, making them atmospheric CO2 and/or CH4 sources. However, little research investigates carbondynamics in ponds smaller than 0.01-hectare, despite these being most numerous. This research aimed to determine whether small ponds in the UK are carbon sinks, or atmospheric carbon sources. An intensively farmed-catchment pond, a nearby unpolluted forest-catchment pond (Oxfordshire) and a nutrient-impoverished peatland pond (Surrey) were sampled monthly from May 2011 to August 2012. Headspace gases were sampled from floating flux-chambers to measure watersurface carbon-emissions. Gas samples, and in situ gas-concentrations were analysed using membrane-inlet quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS). Carboninputs were sampled by loss-on-ignition analysis of sediment-trap contents. Decomposition-rates were also measured (by QMS) at successive depths in sediment-cores collected from each site. Loss-on-ignition was conducted to determine depth-related carbon-content and bulk-density increase, inferring compaction and burial-rates. Emissions and inputs data were analysed statistically to compare site-related and temporal variations. Environmental predictor-response relationships were investigated using time-series, PLSR and dummy-coded panelregression analyses. Each pond received several orders of magnitude greater organic carbon-inputs than their water-surface carbon-emissions, despite rapid decomposition-rates. Inputs were functions of both land-use and weather-events. CO2 emissions were lowest and CH4 highest at the forest-catchment pond, with net burial responding to substrate-supply. The farm and peatland ponds had similar emissions, responding mostly to temperature-variations. In situ gas-concentration profiles indicated watercolumn storage of CO2 and CH4 in the peatland-pond. Carbon-inputs did not predict emissions, demonstrating that emissions were not substrate-limited. Influential predictor-variables included temperature and peak-windspeeds. Small ponds are numerous, increasing worldwide, and may represent most global liquid freshwater surface-area. They are easily constructed, holding promise for carbon-sequestration. However, pond carbon-cycling responded to storminess and temperature-extremes, making them vulnerable to projected anthropogenic climate-forcing.","abstract_html":"Lake carbon-storage is an emerging climate and environmental research theme. Small lakes are increasingly recognised as receiving disproportionately high carbon-inputs potentially causing rapid carbon-emissions, making them atmospheric CO2 and/or CH4 sources. However, little research investigates carbondynamics in ponds smaller than 0.01-hectare, despite these being most numerous. This research aimed to determine whether small ponds in the UK are carbon sinks, or atmospheric carbon sources. An intensively farmed-catchment pond, a nearby unpolluted forest-catchment pond (Oxfordshire) and a nutrient-impoverished peatland pond (Surrey) were sampled monthly from May 2011 to August 2012. Headspace gases were sampled from floating flux-chambers to measure watersurface carbon-emissions. Gas samples, and in situ gas-concentrations were analysed using membrane-inlet quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS). Carboninputs were sampled by loss-on-ignition analysis of sediment-trap contents. Decomposition-rates were also measured (by QMS) at successive depths in sediment-cores collected from each site. Loss-on-ignition was conducted to determine depth-related carbon-content and bulk-density increase, inferring compaction and burial-rates. Emissions and inputs data were analysed statistically to compare site-related and temporal variations. Environmental predictor-response relationships were investigated using time-series, PLSR and dummy-coded panelregression analyses. Each pond received several orders of magnitude greater organic carbon-inputs than their water-surface carbon-emissions, despite rapid decomposition-rates. Inputs were functions of both land-use and weather-events. CO2 emissions were lowest and CH4 highest at the forest-catchment pond, with net burial responding to substrate-supply. The farm and peatland ponds had similar emissions, responding mostly to temperature-variations. In situ gas-concentration profiles indicated watercolumn storage of CO2 and CH4 in the peatland-pond. Carbon-inputs did not predict emissions, demonstrating that emissions were not substrate-limited. Influential predictor-variables included temperature and peak-windspeeds. Small ponds are numerous, increasing worldwide, and may represent most global liquid freshwater surface-area. They are easily constructed, holding promise for carbon-sequestration. However, pond carbon-cycling responded to storminess and temperature-extremes, making them vulnerable to projected anthropogenic climate-forcing.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Shaw, Maisie Ruth Helena"],"institution":"Oxford Brookes University","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Pearce, Deborah","Biggs, Jeremy"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017","date_published":"2017","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:43:33Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":["All rights reserved"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.24384/nshn-mq54","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Shaw, Maisie Ruth Helena","Pearce, Deborah","Biggs, Jeremy"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Shaw, Maisie Ruth Helena"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2017"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Oxford Brookes University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["All rights reserved"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://doi.org/10.24384/nshn-mq54","https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/453136f7-b166-4b18-a2f6-7e731a81efe6/1/Shaw2017CarbonDynamics.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Lake carbon-storage is an emerging climate and environmental research theme. Small lakes are increasingly recognised as receiving disproportionately high carbon-inputs potentially causing rapid carbon-emissions, making them atmospheric CO2 and/or CH4 sources. However, little research investigates carbondynamics in ponds smaller than 0.01-hectare, despite these being most numerous. This research aimed to determine whether small ponds in the UK are carbon sinks, or atmospheric carbon sources. An intensively farmed-catchment pond, a nearby unpolluted forest-catchment pond (Oxfordshire) and a nutrient-impoverished peatland pond (Surrey) were sampled monthly from May 2011 to August 2012. Headspace gases were sampled from floating flux-chambers to measure watersurface carbon-emissions. Gas samples, and in situ gas-concentrations were analysed using membrane-inlet quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS). Carboninputs were sampled by loss-on-ignition analysis of sediment-trap contents. Decomposition-rates were also measured (by QMS) at successive depths in sediment-cores collected from each site. Loss-on-ignition was conducted to determine depth-related carbon-content and bulk-density increase, inferring compaction and burial-rates. Emissions and inputs data were analysed statistically to compare site-related and temporal variations. Environmental predictor-response relationships were investigated using time-series, PLSR and dummy-coded panelregression analyses. Each pond received several orders of magnitude greater organic carbon-inputs than their water-surface carbon-emissions, despite rapid decomposition-rates. Inputs were functions of both land-use and weather-events. CO2 emissions were lowest and CH4 highest at the forest-catchment pond, with net burial responding to substrate-supply. The farm and peatland ponds had similar emissions, responding mostly to temperature-variations. In situ gas-concentration profiles indicated watercolumn storage of CO2 and CH4 in the peatland-pond. Carbon-inputs did not predict emissions, demonstrating that emissions were not substrate-limited. Influential predictor-variables included temperature and peak-windspeeds. Small ponds are numerous, increasing worldwide, and may represent most global liquid freshwater surface-area. They are easily constructed, holding promise for carbon-sequestration. However, pond carbon-cycling responded to storminess and temperature-extremes, making them vulnerable to projected anthropogenic climate-forcing."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["THE CARBON DYNAMICS OF CONTRASTING FRESHWATER PONDS"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Shaw, Maisie Ruth Helena","Pearce, Deborah","Biggs, Jeremy"],"dc:creator":["Shaw, Maisie Ruth Helena"],"dc:date":["2017"],"dc:description":["Lake carbon-storage is an emerging climate and environmental research theme. Small lakes are increasingly recognised as receiving disproportionately high carbon-inputs potentially causing rapid carbon-emissions, making them atmospheric CO2 and/or CH4 sources. However, little research investigates carbondynamics in ponds smaller than 0.01-hectare, despite these being most numerous. This research aimed to determine whether small ponds in the UK are carbon sinks, or atmospheric carbon sources. An intensively farmed-catchment pond, a nearby unpolluted forest-catchment pond (Oxfordshire) and a nutrient-impoverished peatland pond (Surrey) were sampled monthly from May 2011 to August 2012. Headspace gases were sampled from floating flux-chambers to measure watersurface carbon-emissions. Gas samples, and in situ gas-concentrations were analysed using membrane-inlet quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS). Carboninputs were sampled by loss-on-ignition analysis of sediment-trap contents. Decomposition-rates were also measured (by QMS) at successive depths in sediment-cores collected from each site. Loss-on-ignition was conducted to determine depth-related carbon-content and bulk-density increase, inferring compaction and burial-rates. Emissions and inputs data were analysed statistically to compare site-related and temporal variations. Environmental predictor-response relationships were investigated using time-series, PLSR and dummy-coded panelregression analyses. Each pond received several orders of magnitude greater organic carbon-inputs than their water-surface carbon-emissions, despite rapid decomposition-rates. Inputs were functions of both land-use and weather-events. CO2 emissions were lowest and CH4 highest at the forest-catchment pond, with net burial responding to substrate-supply. The farm and peatland ponds had similar emissions, responding mostly to temperature-variations. In situ gas-concentration profiles indicated watercolumn storage of CO2 and CH4 in the peatland-pond. Carbon-inputs did not predict emissions, demonstrating that emissions were not substrate-limited. Influential predictor-variables included temperature and peak-windspeeds. Small ponds are numerous, increasing worldwide, and may represent most global liquid freshwater surface-area. They are easily constructed, holding promise for carbon-sequestration. However, pond carbon-cycling responded to storminess and temperature-extremes, making them vulnerable to projected anthropogenic climate-forcing."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://doi.org/10.24384/nshn-mq54","https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/453136f7-b166-4b18-a2f6-7e731a81efe6/1/Shaw2017CarbonDynamics.pdf"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Oxford Brookes University"],"dc:rights":["All rights reserved"],"dc:title":["THE CARBON DYNAMICS OF CONTRASTING FRESHWATER PONDS"],"dc:type":["thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:43:33Z"}