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)
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
-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
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
-100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60
mean water level [cm]
kg C
H4∙
ha-1
∙a-1
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
t CO
2-eq
∙ha
-1∙a
-1
bogs
fens
other
CH4 emissions clearly correlate with water levels: they increase when higher than 20 cm - surface
-5
5
15
25
35
45
55
65
75
85
95
-100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40
mean water level [cm]
kg N
20∙h
a-1∙
a-1
-2
4
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
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
-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…