Terrestrial versus aquatic carbon fluxes in an agricultural coastal floodplain

In ecosystems at the terrestrial-aquatic interface, the carbon cycle is intricately connected between these two components. However, these terrestrial-aquatic carbon subsidies are often neglected in carbon budgets. This dissertation addresses the role of the aquatic pathway in the carbon budget of a “model” ecosystem representing a well constrained catchment. By combining terrestrial and aquatic methodologies, the study revealed important findings on the drivers of aquatic carbon fluxes and the relative contribution of this pathway to offsetting the land carbon sink. This study demonstrated that an interdisciplinary approach to terrestrial-aquatic ecosystems propels our understanding of carbon cycling in these systems.