Climate change in peatlands: Holocene record, recent trends and related impacts on biodiversity and sequestered carbon

• Project promoter: Nature Research Centre
• Project partner: University of Bern, Institute for Geological Sciences and Vilnius university
• Implementation period: 01.01.2013–31.03 2016;
• Budget: 2.030.813 LTL

Short project description

The aim of the Project: Peatlands can be found in at least 175 countries and cover around 4 million km² or 3% of the world’s land area. In Lithuania, peatlands currently cover ~10% of the national territory. A total  of 44% of this surface is colonized by woody vegetation. Under current conditions, tree growth in peatlands is mainly affected by groundwater fluctuations, with a high water table resulting in lower oxygen uptake and more limited nutrient assimilation by the root system. As a consequence, woody vegetation dynamics in peatlands have been shown to be an integrator of past water table fluctuations. In addition, fossil tree stumps conserved in different peat layers constitue dense archives of Holocene climate history.

The CLIMPEAT project will hence explore the interconnections and interdependencies of peatlands ecosystems with climate (change), anthropogenic activity and sequestered carbon. It will contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of this resource through a better appraisal of impacts, and/or feedback loops between pedospheric, atmospheric, and anthropogenic activities.