Rising Water Levels in Arctic Peatlands Cuts Carbon Emissions

Drained Arctic peatlands leak carbon like forgotten vaults left ajar, but new findings from northern Norway suggest raising water levels seals them back up. A two-year study in Pasvik Valley reveals how this tweak flips farmland from emission source to carbon sink, grabbing attention amid rising global heat.​

Pasvik Experiment Tracks Real Farm Conditions

At NIBIO's Svanhovd station, researchers Junbin Zhao and team set up five plots echoing typical northern fields—different groundwater depths, fertilizer doses, and harvest rounds over 2022 and 2023. Automated chambers measured CO₂, methane, and nitrous oxide nonstop through growing seasons, catching daily swings and short spikes that occasional checks miss. Deep drainage let oxygen rush in, sparking microbes to chew ancient peat and belch CO₂ at rates rivaling southern sites. Raise the water table to 25-50 cm below surface, and emissions cratered—some patches tipped net positive, soaking up more CO₂ than released. Methane and N₂O barely ticked up in the chill, dodging trade-offs warmer zones face where wet boosts those gases.​

Wetter soil cut plant uptake a touch, yet slowed decay far more, shifting the balance. In natural state, peatlands hoard carbon because saturation starves oxygen, letting dead plants pile up millennia-deep—twice forests' total despite slim land coverage. Drainage since the 1600s flipped Nordic stretches into sources, but Pasvik shows water levels as the master switch.​

Cold Edge and Long Light Sharpen Water Level Wins

Arctic quirks amplify it: endless summer sun starts carbon grab early, stretching uptake hours. Below 12°C, microbes idle, peat holds firm—warming past that ramps breakdown, dulling gains. Zhao notes northern long light lowers the threshold for net absorption, an edge southern peatlands lack.​

Fertilizer bulked grass for cuts without gas surges, keeping farms viable. But frequent harvests yanked carbon out, thinning layers long-term—too many rounds, and even high water can't rebuild fast enough. Paludiculture fills the gap: wet-adapted plants thrive atop raised water, yielding food sans deep drains, blending production with storage.​

Field patches varied sharply—one absorbed steadily, neighbors leaked—tied to soil quirks like texture or history. That pushes site-tuned management over broad rules, refining climate math for nations tallying peat in ledgers. Northern peatlands stay understudied despite scale, with cold, short seasons setting them apart.​

Arctic Peatlands Unlock Climate Fixes Now

Pasvik numbers spotlight water levels dialing Arctic peatlands from hemorrhage to hoard. Farmers balance yields with rewetting, a practical pivot as heat climbs. These field-proven steps could scale north wide, locking vaults where cold once ruled, easing global tallies.