Monitoring, reporting and verification of peatland water table and greenhouse gas balance using Sentinel 1 radar

Recognition of the global significance of peatland GHG emissions has led to growing investment in peatland restoration. However, a lack of robust, affordable measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) methods for reporting outcomes at scale acts as a barrier to wider investment. Here, we demonstrate a novel MRV solution based on Sentinel 1 radar backscatter data, which provides a detailed estimate of water table depth. The approach correctly identifies areas of periodic inundation and estimates the water table depth within the 0–20 cm range across a 400-ha raised bog complex. Combining satellite-derived water table predictions with published relationships between water table and CO2, and CH4 fluxes showed modelled uptake of 2.9–3.2 t CO2 ha−1 yr−1 compared to measured uptake of 1.8–3.5 t CO2 ha−1 yr−1. With further development, such an approach has the potential to facilitate a more detailed approach to restoration, MRV and GHG emissions reporting.