Overriding water table control on managed peatland greenhouse gas emissions

C. D. Evans (), M. Peacock, A. J. Baird, R. R. E. Artz, A. Burden, N. Callaghan, P. J. Chapman, H. M. Cooper, M. Coyle, E. Craig, A. Cumming, S. Dixon, V. Gauci, R. P. Grayson, C. Helfter, C. M. Heppell, J. Holden, D. L. Jones, J. Kaduk, P. Levy, R. Matthews, N. P. McNamara, T. Misselbrook, S. Oakley, S. E. Page, M. Rayment, L. M. Ridley, K. M. Stanley, J. L. Williamson, F. Worrall and R. Morrison
Additional contact information
C. D. Evans: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
M. Peacock: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
A. J. Baird: University of Leeds
R. R. E. Artz: The James Hutton Institute
A. Burden: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
N. Callaghan: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
P. J. Chapman: University of Leeds
H. M. Cooper: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
M. Coyle: The James Hutton Institute
E. Craig: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
A. Cumming: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
S. Dixon: Durham University
V. Gauci: University of Birmingham
R. P. Grayson: University of Leeds
C. Helfter: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
C. M. Heppell: Queen Mary University of London
J. Holden: University of Leeds
D. L. Jones: Bangor University
J. Kaduk: University of Leicester
P. Levy: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
R. Matthews: Rothamsted Research, North Wyke
N. P. McNamara: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
T. Misselbrook: Rothamsted Research, North Wyke
S. Oakley: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
S. E. Page: University of Leicester
M. Rayment: Bangor University
L. M. Ridley: Bangor University
K. M. Stanley: Goethe Universität Frankfurt
J. L. Williamson: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
F. Worrall: Durham University
R. Morrison: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Nature, 2021, vol. 593, issue 7860, 548-552

Abstract: Abstract Global peatlands store more carbon than is naturally present in the atmosphere1,2. However, many peatlands are under pressure from drainage-based agriculture, plantation development and fire, with the equivalent of around 3 per cent of all anthropogenic greenhouse gases emitted from drained peatland3–5. Efforts to curb such emissions are intensifying through the conservation of undrained peatlands and re-wetting of drained systems6. Here we report eddy covariance data for carbon dioxide from 16 locations and static chamber measurements for methane from 41 locations in the UK and Ireland. We combine these with published data from sites across all major peatland biomes. We find that the mean annual effective water table depth (WTDe; that is, the average depth of the aerated peat layer) overrides all other ecosystem- and management-related controls on greenhouse gas fluxes. We estimate that every 10 centimetres of reduction in WTDe could reduce the net warming impact of CO2 and CH4 emissions (100-year global warming potentials) by the equivalent of at least 3 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year, until WTDe is less than 30 centimetres. Raising water levels further would continue to have a net cooling effect until WTDe is within 10 centimetres of the surface. Our results suggest that greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands drained for agriculture could be greatly reduced without necessarily halting their productive use. Halving WTDe in all drained agricultural peatlands, for example, could reduce emissions by the equivalent of over 1 per cent of global anthropogenic emissions.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03523-1

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