Greenhouse gas fluxes from peat meadows in Fryslân using mobile eddy covariance measurements

Research introduction

In the province of Friesland (Fryslân) peat meadows constitute an important fraction of the landscape, especially in the southwest. They are subsiding as a consequence of agricultural use which requires drainage, just like in ‘Holland’. The Frisian peat meadows are different because of their deeper drainage, larger scale and more frequent clay topping. The province has set itself  strong emission reduction targets. The provincial peat meadow programme works closely with the Frisian waterboard (Wetterskip Fryslân) to design and test mitigation measures.

Research challenges

WSG was invited by the peat meadow programme to design and build two eddy covariance systems to perform mobile measurements of peat GHG emissions throughout the year. The two systems were built and are ‘roving’ along up to 10 locations, being moved every week by personnel of the Wetterskip. This way, a year-round pattern of emissions can be investigated through a series of one-week ‘snapshopts’. Simultaneously, at each site a simple, permanent meteorological station is being maintained.