Runoff Changes After Rewetting of a Cutover Peatland in Sweden

Authors:
Torbjörn Nilsson, Lars Lundin, Sabine Jordan, Elve Lode, Monika Strömgren

Book:
Proceedings of the 14th International Peat Congress

Venue:
Stockholm

Keywords:
discharge-measurements, low-water-flow, peak-flows

Documentfile:
Nilsson et al 2012: Runoff Changes After Rewetting of a Cutover Peatland in Sweden

Summary:

Theme I.  Inventory, stratigraphy and conservation of mires and peatlands

SUMMARY

Continuous discharge measurements were made in outlets from a rewetted cutover peatland (14 ha) and a nearby self-restoring hand-cut mire (22 ha) during nine years. Mainly cotton grass was slowly but successively established over the peatland. Large areas of open water also existed in the rewetted area. The discharge measurements showed that annual runoff from the rewetted cutover peatland were lower compared to runoff from the self-restoring hand-cut mire. This difference could be explained with higher frequency of low flows and lower peak flows from the rewetted cutover peatland.

The low annual runoff from the rewetted cutover peatland was probably caused by water storage in the created wetlands and an increased evapotranspiration. The number of peak flows and their magnitudes were lower from the rewetted cutover peatland compared to the self-restoring hand-cut mire.