Summer field measurements in Skogaryd 

 

We are here in the Swedish forest (or skog, in Swedish) of Skogaryd (58°23’N, 12°09’E), around 15km from the town of Vänersborg in Southern Sweden. It is part of the Swedish Infrastructure for Ecosystem Science (SITES). The site is a hemiboreal forest on drained organic soil. More information can be found here: gvc.gu.se/english/research/skogaryd.

This summer has been exceptionally warm and dry in Sweden, probably the warmest July recorded, with temperatures reaching 32°C. Due to the extended hot and dry weather conditions over the last couple of months, the Swedish government has forecast an extreme risk of wildfires across southern Sweden.

As part of our measurements campaign of summer 2018, we have been measuring the greenhouse gas fluxes (CH4, N2O and CO2) from spruce trees – stems and shoots, as well as the soil during two measurement periods: end-May to mid-June and end-July up until the first week of August.

Sampling for tree emissions is done using closed chamber technique for different tree profiles and soil chambers for the soil. We are currently using the laser and infrared based measurement devices UGGA (Ultraportable Greenhouse Gas Analyzer) and GASMET DX4040.

We hope the results of these field measurements will give us some insight on the Methane dynamics from forest ecosystems under drought conditions.