Methane dynamics of Eurasian peatlands: Environmental controls on linear and non-linear pathways of CH4 emissions

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Eurasian peatlands are important sources of the greenhouse gas CH4 to the atmosphere, but no long-term, continuous observations of the spatial and temporal variation in CH4 emissions in these peatlands exist. Here we propose to narrow this knowledge gap by building a network of four sites along a maritime-continental transect spanning from Finland to the largest peatlands on earth in Western Siberia. At each site we will 1) combine chamber measurements and eddy covariance towers to quantify the importance of each pathway of emission (diffusion, plant mediated, ebullition/bubbling); 2) scale plot based results up using high resolution kite and zeppelin aerial photography and IKONOS imagery; 3) use stable isotopes and surface level recorders to quantify the importance of deep ebullition events. This novel set-up of methods combined with the spatial extent of the investigation area promises a comprehensive analysis of the spatial and temporal variation in CH4 emissions in Eurasia. Innovative aspects include: Measurement of annual CH4 fluxes, quantification of ebullition and geographical coverage in areas with nearly no history of flux measurements.