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Restoration effects on water table depths and CO2 fluxes from climatically marginal blanket bog

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Abstract

This study aimed to measure the effects of ecological restoration on blanket peat water table depths and CO2 fluxes. The flux of CO2 and water table depths were measured on eight sites for 5 years. Results suggest that sites with revegetation alongside slope stabilisation have the highest rates of photosynthesis and are the largest net (daylight hours) sinks of CO2. Bare sites are the largest net sources of CO2 and have the deepest water table depths. Sites with gully wall stabilisation are between 5 and 8 times more likely to be net CO2 sinks than the bare sites. Revegetation without gully flow blocking using plastic dams does not have a large effect on water table depths in and around the gullies investigated whereas a blocked gully has water table depths comparable to a naturally revegetating gully. A 10 cm lowering in water table depth decreases the probability of observing a net CO2 sink, on a given site, by up to 30 %. The most important conclusion of this research was that restoration interventions are effective at increasing the likelihood of net CO2 sink behaviour and raising water tables on degraded, climatically marginal blanket bog.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Madeline Bell and Gareth Clay for assistance with fieldwork. The authors are grateful for funding and support from DEFRA, the Moors for the Future Partnership and Natural England.

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Author notes

  1. James G. Rowson

    Present address: Department of Geography and Geology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4QP, UK

  2. Aletta Bonn

    Present address: Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Simon D. Dixon, Suzane M. Qassim, James G. Rowson, Fred Worrall & Ian M. Boothroyd

  2. School of Environment and Development, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Martin G. Evans

  3. Moors for the Future Partnership, The Moorland Centre, Fieldhead, Edale, Hope Valley, S33 7ZA, UK

    Aletta Bonn

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  1. Simon D. Dixon
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Correspondence to Simon D. Dixon.

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Dixon, S.D., Qassim, S.M., Rowson, J.G. et al. Restoration effects on water table depths and CO2 fluxes from climatically marginal blanket bog. Biogeochemistry 118, 159–176 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-013-9915-4

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