Environmental impacts of peat extraction site rewetting – Establishing of new intensive monitoring site

Peat extraction and use of peat resources for energy purposes are ending in Finland as part of societal green transition and energy production shift. Former peat extraction areas are often restored by rewetting, but short- and long-term impacts of rewetting actions to water resources and leaching, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and terrestrial and aquatic ecology are currently poorly known. For this purpose, we have established a new intensive monitoring site for Turvesuo-Miehonsuo peat extraction areas at Sanginjoki catchment, close to the City of Oulu. Our mission is to obtain a detailed understanding of hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological impact of the rewetting of the former peat extraction site. Peat extraction at Turvesuo-Miehonsuo ended 2023, and rewetting is planned to be done in 2025/2026. Our monitoring includes: continuous high-frequency in-situ water quality and aquatic gas monitoring, eddy-covariance and chamber measurements of GHG exchanges, extensive drone surveys to measure spatial variability of rewetting impacts, hydrological monitoring of surface and groundwaters, biological monitoring of bacterial communities and algal biomass accrual in surface waters, and detailed vascular plant and bryophyte inventories. continuous high-frequency in-situ water quality and aquatic gas monitoring, eddy-covariance and chamber measurements of GHG exchanges, extensive drone surveys to measure spatial variability of rewetting impacts, hydrological monitoring of surface and groundwaters, biological monitoring of bacterial communities and algal biomass accrual in surface waters, and detailed vascular plant and bryophyte inventories. Together with the City of Oulu, we plan to establish a science nature trail for the education sector, citizens, and others interested. The aim of this presentation is to present a monitoring and measurement setup that will enable monitoring of ecosystem-level changes in a former peat production area. The new comprehensive monitoring system aims to provide accurate scientific data to support land use decisions on peatlands and to provide reference measurements for the calculation of carbon emissions from the land use sector.