Assessing the impact of rewetting agricultural fen peat soil via open drain damming: an agrogeophysical approach

Abstract. Open drainage ditch (i.e., open drain) damming aims to raise the water table in agricultural grassland peat soils thereby reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A current knowledge gap is how to examine the spatial and temporal effectiveness of such an action, i.e., assessing the behaviour of the water table in the adjoining field. To address this gap, at a drained agricultural grassland site with shallow fen peat soils (ranging from 0 to 2 m depth), water level in an open drain was raised by installing a dam. Associated changes to the water table depth (WTD) were monitored using two nests of dip-wells installed at two locations (Rewetted and Control areas) in the adjoining field. Soil profile volumetric water content (VWC) data were obtained in these two areas in addition to the temperature, salinity, pH, and electrical conductivity signature of the water in the open drain. These data were integrated with geophysical (electromagnetic induction (EMI)) survey data conducted in June and December. Results from the dip wells (located >20 m from dam) indicated that no measurable change in WTD occurred due to the dam installation, aligning with previous studies suggesting limited spatial influence in agricultural fen peat soils. VWC profiles, while consistent with peat physical properties, showed no deviation attributable to drain damming. The EMI results identified a distinct zone with electrical conductivity values similar to those of open drain water, suggesting localised water infiltration within ∼ 20 m of the dammed drain during summer. This spatial impact was less evident in December, likely due to increased precipitation and regional groundwater influence. This study demonstrates that EMI surveys, shown here in combination with other high-resolution data capture, can detect rewetting effects when combined with neural network clustering and Multi-Cluster Average Standard Deviation analysis, highlighting its value for rapid site assessment. Moreover, the results underscore the importance of survey timing, as June measurements provided clearer evidence of drain damming impact than the December measurements.