Our new paper in @nature
"Overriding water table control on managed peatland greenhouse gas emissions"
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03523-1
(1/6)
#PeatTwitter #PeatPaper https://twitter.com/UK_CEH/status/1384888696785313792

We measured CO2 fluxes using eddy covariance at 16 sites just in the UK and Ireland, thus we minimised climatic variation. Our sites included bogs and fens, and a range of land-use (near natural --> cropland). We then extended our dataset with literature values. (2/6)

We find that water table is an overriding control on CO2 emission. Deeper water tables = greater losses of CO2 to the atmosphere. (3/6)

We also synthesized methane data from peatlands in UK and Ireland (collected using static chambers). Again, we find an overriding control of water table. We combine the CO2 and CH4 data and show how raising the water table can lead to large GHG savings. (4/6)

We then scale up our water table/GHG relationships to show that halving water tables in managed peatlands could save 1.3% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. (5/6)

Our results are not an argument against rewetting, but it would be impossible to cease all agriculture on drained peatlands. For these cases, we suggest that changing water management could still be beneficial. (6/6)