Publication: Carbon balance in an abandoned peat extraction area influenced by spatial heterogeneity and vegetation development

This study was conducted to determine greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes and assess the carbon cycle of the ecosystem at an abandoned peat extraction site in Lavassaare, Estonia. Two years of measurements from January 2023 to December 2024 using an eddy covariance (EC) technique and closed chamber measurements showed that the site acts as a carbon source.

Highlights:

• An abandoned, drained peat-extracted area with dense plant growth remains a net carbon source.
• Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) is mainly controlled by net radiation and energy fluxes.
• The eddy covariance (EC) and closed chamber methods together revealed temporal and spatial variability in fluxes.
• Phragmites australis dominated areas in the abandoned peat extraction site, where the highest CH4 fluxes occur.