Peatland research

Living mires are the only ecosystem that can remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere over thousands of years and accumulate it as peat. However, such peatlands are very rare in Germany, as the majority of sites have been drained and can only be recognised as former peatland ecosystems by taking a closer look at the soil. When peatlands are drained for agricultural or forestry use or peat extraction, more oxygen enters the soil. Under these conditions, microorganisms can efficiently decompose the peat which produces large quantities of CO₂.

The Federal Climate Change Act (2021) demands that the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector will be a sink of 40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents by 2045. Greenhouse gas emissions from drained peatlands are mostly reported in this sector.

According to the Target Agreement between the Federal Government and the Federal States on Climate Protection by Peatland Protection and the National Peatland Protection Strategy, the current greenhouse gas emissions from organic soils of 54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents are to be reduced by 5 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents by 2030. Both require not only considerable efforts in the rewetting of peatlands, but also an assessment of possible mitigation measures based on a sound scientific understanding and adequate monitoring.

Accordingly, our research addresses both the status quo and various approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as water management on agriculturally used peatlands, paludiculture and restoration. In addition, the German Peatland Monitoring Programme for Climate Protection (MoMok) (Open Land) is currently being set up. Our projects are particularly interested in the interaction of soil hydrological and chemical properties, water management and the exchange of CO₂, methane and nitrous oxide, using laboratory experiments, field measurements and modelling approaches at different spatial scales.