EGU22-13454
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-13454
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Wetland observatories for rewetting of drained peatlands (ReWeT-DK)

Rasmus Jes Petersen1, Dominik Zak1, Astrid Maagaard1, Carl Hoffmann1, Andersen Hans1, Christiansen Jesper2, Elsgaard Lars1, Pullens Johannes1, and Lærke Paul1
Rasmus Jes Petersen et al.
  • 1Institute of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Silkeborg, Denmark (jes@bios.au.dk)
  • 2Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark (jrc@ign.ku.dk)

ReWet is currently establishing four observatories on drained peatlands in Denmark. These observatories will serve as platforms for ecosystem monitoring, experimental research, technological development and demonstration. The objective of ReWet is to facilitate climate smart management and land use change related to agriculture and forestry on peat soils  The ReWet observatories will focus on measurements of fluxes of greenhouse gases (GHG), energy, water and matter (including major nutrients and dissolved carbon) in the interface of the upper groundwater, soil, vegetation and the atmosphere under different rewetting strategies and land use combinations. The ecosystem monitoring will include biodiversity namely vegetation composition and soil microbial communities. The vertical movement of the peat surface will be monitored using dynamic radar reflectors. The monitoring and research carried out at the observatories will, in combination with nationwide  soil databases, enable development of science based national strategies for rewetting of temperate wetlands like in Denmark to achieve substantially lower GHG emissions at national scale, less nutrient pollution of aquatic ecosystems and increased landscape biodiversity.

How to cite: Petersen, R. J., Zak, D., Maagaard, A., Hoffmann, C., Hans, A., Jesper, C., Lars, E., Johannes, P., and Paul, L.: Wetland observatories for rewetting of drained peatlands (ReWeT-DK), EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-13454, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-13454, 2022.