MRV approaches in the BMU Belarus peatland project

Hans JoostenGreifswald University, Germany

Eastern Europe: famous for its vast and largely undisturbed peatlands...

Rospuda Valley, Poland

Belarus has high proportion of peatlands... fens (green), bogs (red), transitional peatlands

(purple): former extent ~15% of the area

Present area of natural peatlands: 1.5 mio ha

Present area of drained peatlands: 1.5 mio ha (agriculture 72%, forestry 25%, peat extraction 3%)

Drained peatlands are huge emittors of CO2 + N2O

CO2 emission

Central Europe is peatland emission hot spot

Does rewetting reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

How much less emissions after rewetting?

BMU funded rewetting project (2008-2011)

builds on GEF funded rewetting project (42,000 ha)

strong support of Belarusian government:

carbon credits reduction of fires

(radioactivity!)…

BMU funded rewetting project (2008-2011)

Deliverables: methodology for

GHG assessment standard for

voluntary trade 15,000 ha rewetted

and sustainably managed

local capacity

Measuring directly is complicated, time consuming,

expensive ( € 10,000 /ha/yr) proxy indicators

Mean water level is best predictor of emissions

(meta-analysis of 25 site parameters in W-Europe)

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0

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-120 -100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0

mean water level [cm]

t CO

2-eq

∙ha

-1∙a

-1

bogsfens

CO2 emissions clearly correlate with water levels: they become less with higher water levels

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0

100

200

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mean water level [cm]

kg C

H4∙

ha-1

∙a-1

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0

2

4

6

8

10

12

t CO

2-eq

∙ha

-1∙a

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bogs

fens

other

CH4 emissions clearly correlate with water levels: they increase when higher than 20 cm - surface

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-100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40

mean water level [cm]

kg N

20∙h

a-1∙

a-1

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9

14

19

24

29

t CO

2-eq

∙ha-

1∙a-

1

bogs

fens - unfertilized

fens - fertilized

other

N2O emissions clearly correlate with water levels: they do not occur when higher than 15 cm - surface

N2O erratic, but lower with higher water levels

Leave N2O emissions out conservative estimate

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0

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-100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0

mean water level [cm]

GW

P [t

CO

2-eq

∙ha

-1∙a

-1]

By rewetting, greenhouse gas emissions decrease, but less between – 20 cm and 0 cm

Emissions strongly related to water level Vegetation strongly related to water level

Use vegetation as indicator for emissions!

In an environmental gradient some plant species occur together; others exclude each other.

Species groups (and their absence!) indicate site conditions much sharper than individual plant species: “vegetation forms”.

site factor gradient

species groups

site factor classes

subunits 1

1 2

2

3 4 5

1 2

Vegetation types calibrated for GHG emissions:

GESTs: Greenhouse gas Emission Site Types

Some examples: 2-, 2+, 2~ (3+/2+) 3+ 4+/3+ 4+ 5+ 6+MOD. MOIST FORBS & MEADOWS

MOIST FORBS & MEADOWS

VERY MOIST MEADOWS

VERY MOIST MEADOWS, FORBS & TALL REEDS

WET TALL SEDGE MARSHES

FLOODED TALL AND SHORT REEDS

0 1.5(1.3 – 2)

3.5(2.5 – 6)

3 7(5.0 – 9.5)

1(0.3 – 1.7)

24 15 13(8.5 – 16.5)

8 0 0

24 16.5 16.5 11 7 1

Water level

Vegetation

CH4

CO2

GWP

Vegetation type Typical/differentiating species WL class

CH4 CO2 GWP

Sphagnum-Carex limosa-marsh

Sphagnum recurvum agg., Carex limosa, Scheuchzeria

5+ 12.5 <0 (±0) 12.5

Sphagnum-Carex-Eriophorum-marsh

Sph. recurvum agg., Carex nigra, C. curta, Eriophorum angustifolium

Drepanocladus-Carex-marsh Drepanocladus div. spec., Carex diandra, Carex rostr., Carex limosa - Carex dominated

Scorpidium-Eleocharis-marsh Scorpidium, Eleocharis quinqueflora - Carex (shunt) dominated

Sphagnum-Juncus effusus-marsh

Juncus effusus, Sphagnum recurvum agg.

Equisetum-reeds Equisetum fluviatile

Scorpidium-Cladium-reeds Cladium, Scorpidium

Sphagnum-Phragmites-reeds Phragmites, Solanum dulcamara

5+ 10 <0 / ±0 10

Solano-Phragmitetum Scorpidium, Eleocharis quinqueflora - Phragmites + Solanum without Urtica-gr.

Rorippa-Typha-Phragmites-reeds

Typha latifolia, Phragmites, Rorippa aquatica, Lemna minor

Bidens-Glyceria-reeds Glyceria maxima, Berula erecta, Bidens tripartita, B. cernua

Red or green Sphagnum lawn (optimal)

Sph. magellanicum, Sph. rubellum, Sph. fuscum, Sph. recurvum agg. 5+ 5 -2 3

Green Sphagnum hollow Sph. cuspidatum, Scheuchzeria 5+ 10 -2 8

Polytrichum-lawn Polytrichum commune 5+ 2 <0 2

GESTs with indicator species groups

Each GEST with typical speciesEach GEST with typical GHG emissions

Benefits of vegetation as a GHG proxy:

• reflects long-term water levels provides indication on GHG fluxes per yr• is controlled by factors that control GHG emissions

(water, nutrients, acidity, land use…)• is responsible for GHG emissions via its own organic

matter (root exudates!)• may provide bypasses for increased CH4 via

aerenchyma (“shunt species”)• allows rapid and fine-scaled mapping Vegetation is a more comprehensive proxy

than water level!

Disadvantages of vegetation as a proxy:

• slow reaction on environmental changes: ~3 years before change in water level is reflected in vegetation (negative effect faster)

• needs to be calibrated for different climatic and phytogeographical conditions

Vegetation forms: developed for NE Germany test of correlations in Belarusian peatlands

BMU Belarus project:

• Calibration of NE German model for Belarus:– relation vegetation ↔ water level (CIM position)– relation water level ↔ GHG emissions (CIM position)

• Completion of model (“gap filling”)• Consistency test with international literature• Development of conservative approaches

• Selection of rewetting sites• Mapping of vegetation before rewetting (assessment

of emission baseline )• Monitor water level and vegetation development (ex-

post emission monitoring)

Major gap: abandoned peat extraction sites

Perspectives of GEST-approach:

• Ex-ante baseline assessment with ex-post evaluation

• Fine-scaled mapping

• Remote sensing monitoring

• Continuous refinement with progressing GHG research

• Addition of new modules (forest, transient dynamics)

• Simple, cheap, reliable…

Developed with

• Jürgen Augustin (ZALF)• John Couwenberg (DUENE)• Dierk Michaelis (Uni Greifswald)• Merten Minke (APB / CIM)• Annett Thiele (APB/ CIM)• And many more…

info: joosten@uni-greifswald.de

GESTs!