Integrating tide-driven wetland soil redox and biogeochemical
interactions into a land surface model
Abstract
Redox processes, aqueous and solid-phase chemistry, and pH dynamics are
key drivers of subsurface biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial and
wetland ecosystems but are typically not included in terrestrial carbon
cycle models. These omissions may introduce errors when simulating
systems where redox interactions and pH fluctuations are important, such
as wetlands where saturation of soils can produce anoxic conditions and
coastal systems where sulfate inputs from seawater can influence
biogeochemistry. Integrating cycling of redox-sensitive elements could
therefore allow models to better represent key elements of carbon
cycling and greenhouse gas production. We describe a model framework
that couples the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) Land Model
(ELM) with PFLOTRAN biogeochemistry, allowing geochemical processes and
redox interactions to be integrated with land surface model simulations.
We implemented a reaction network including aerobic decomposition,
fermentation, sulfate reduction, sulfide oxidation, and methanogenesis
as well as pH dynamics along with iron oxide and iron sulfide mineral
precipitation and dissolution. We simulated biogeochemical cycling in
tidal wetlands subject to either saltwater or freshwater inputs driven
by tidal hydrological dynamics. In simulations with saltwater tidal
inputs, sulfate reduction led to accumulation of sulfide, higher
dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations, lower dissolved organic
carbon concentrations, and lower methane emissions than simulations with
freshwater tidal inputs. Model simulations compared well with measured
porewater concentrations and surface gas emissions from coastal wetlands
in the Northeastern United States. These results demonstrate how
simulating geochemical reaction networks can improve land surface model
simulations of subsurface biogeochemistry and carbon cycling.