Authors:
Emma Brown, Andrew Smith, David L. Jones and Chris Evans
Book:
Proceedings of the 15th International Peat Congress
Venue:
Kuching
Keywords:
greenhouse-gas-flux, peatland, restoration
Documentfile:
ipc16p423-427a066brownsmith.etal_.pdf
Summary:
SUMMARY
Natural peatlands function as a carbon (C) sink and long term C store. However, past management has led to substantial net losses of stored C across the UK, other areas of northern Europe and more recently in tropical peatlands. Degraded peatlands are being targeted for restoration to reduce current emissions and restore their original C sink potential. This study investigates GHG flux heterogeneity across a partially degraded lowland fen onthe west coast of the UK, where a tall fen, short fen and former improved pasture were subjected to management interventions, including burning, hand-cutting and excavation. The upscaling of chamber measurements to annual budgets found the tall fen acted as a net sink of C throughout the study period, whilst the short fen acted as a net…