Factors controlling the release of dissolved organic substances, their stability and impact in methanogenic inundated fens soils

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Klaus-Holger Knorr; Dr. Dominik Zak
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: from 2013 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 239984262

Today, In the face of climate change, eutrophication of watercourses, and decreasing biodiversity, there are national and international efforts to protect peatlands or to repair their functions in the landscape through restoration measures. In the past, restoring degraded fens by rewetting measures has often led to the formation of new, highly productive shallow lakes. One problem of these new established systems is that in the initial stage of rewetting is accompanied by high release of methane, phosphorus and dissolved organic matter. One important reason might be the lack of phenolics as inhibiting substances, the enhanced availability of labile organic matter as well as favourable exogenic factors in the upper degraded peat layer and in the newly formed sediment layer. The main objective of our project is the identification of factors controlling the release of dissolved organic matter and the concomitant high methane release. This work is expected to make a significant contribution to the understanding of matter turnover and therefore for the succession of rewetted fens in long-term.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Switzerland
• Participating Person: Dr. Michael Sander