The Log | School News

Understanding Wetlands Crucial for Global Warming Studies

Wetlands - the shallow surface water bodies, ranging from swamps to rice paddies - need further study amid growing concerns over the human-induced threat known as global warming, Dean William H. Schlesinger told a June 18 international symposium on the biology, geology and chemistry of wetlands.

"I want to focus on wetlands' contributions to the global aspects of the chemistry of the planet," said Schlesinger, who was one of three keynote speakers at The Seventh Symposium on Biogeochemistry of Wetlands. The four-day meeting, which included 150 worldwide participants, was organized by the Duke Wetland Center in the Nicholas School and took place at the Fuqua School of Business's Geneen Auditorium.

One possible wetlands impact is that gases such as methane, emitted by the actions of wetland microorganisms, might accelerate global warming, he said. But there is also evidence that, by storing carbon in their bottom sediments that might otherwise enter the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, wetlands could simultaneously help ameliorate climate change.

"What is it about wetlands that contributes to the chemistry of our atmosphere, the quality of our surface waters, the potential to mediate or exacerbate global climate change in the next few decades?" he asked.

Joining Schlesinger, James B. Duke Professor of biogeochemistry, as keynote speakers were:

• Hans W. Paerl, Kenan Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "Natural vs. anthropogenic 'new' nitrogen inputs to coastal ecosystems in the 21st century: Evolving sources, scales and consequences."

• Wayne Skaggs, William Neal Reynolds and Distinguished University Professor, NC State University, "The hydrology of wetlands: Factors affecting water table fluctuations in wetland soils."

Four mini-symposia also were held on carbon cycling, biogeochemistry of estaurine systems, biogeochemical indicators, and hydric soil and biogeochemical indicators. Additionally, concurrent sessions focused on topics such as coastal systems; plant communities; water quality modeling and standards; nitrogen dynamics and cycling; and metals and pollutants.

"This symposium presents a unique opportunity for scientists and graduate students from around the world to meet and discuss important global wetland issues," said Curtis J. Richardson, director of the Duke University Wetland Center.

"A key focus of this year's symposium was the recent discovery that wetlands control a significant proportion of the global carbon and that they are key ecosystems in storage and release of greenhouse gases," he says. "In addition, the role of wetlands as nutrient sinks and processing systems on the landscape, as well as the effects of sea level rise on coastal wetlands were stressed."