The role of drainage ditches in greenhouse gas emissions and surface leaching losses from a cutaway peatland cultivated with a perennial bioenergy crop

We studied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from drainage ditches and leaching losses in a boreal cutaway peatland cultivated with reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) for bioenergy. The objectives of the study were to assess to what extent GHG emissions from drainage ditches and leaching of carbon and nutrients via surface drainage contribute to the total losses of carbon and nitrogen from the site. The emissions of CH4, N2O and CO2 were measured with static chamber methods for three years and leaching losses for seven years. On average, the drainage ditches (covering 6% of the study site area) released 10% of the total CH4 emission (0.33 g m –2 a–1), and 1% and 5% of the total N2O and CO2 emissions, respectively. Leaching of total nitrogen and phosphorous were 0.31 and 0.03 g m–2 a–1, respectively. Leaching values were lower than those reported for agricultural catchments in general.