| dc.description.abstract | Following years of peat meadow drainage, the unforeseen consequences of land subsidence and increased carbon emissions has become evident. These consequences follow from increased decomposition of the organic compounds stored within the soil. A promising method to combat this is by rewetting formerly drained agricultural peat meadows with submerges, or pressurized, drainage. It is important to understand the hydrochemical responses of formerly drained peatlands on rewetting to foresee and prevent possible negative consequences. With a full-factorial mesocosm experiment, this research aims to unravel the influence of the water table, water quality and nutrient application on the hydrochemical processes of formerly drained agricultural peatland during rewetting. Rewetting treatments within the mesocosm are represented by a combination of the variable groups; 2 water quality groups (groundwater and surface water), two nutrient application groups (high and low) and 5 water table groups (-60. -40, -20, 0 cm below ground level and fluctuating water table from-20 to -70 cm). The variables determine the oxic state of the peat soils and the external nutrient input. For each treatment (5*2*2=20), phosphate, ammonium, nitrogen oxides, sulphate, iron, aluminium, and calcium are measured to represent the nutrient availability within the soil pore water. This indicates the plant available nutrients and minerals related to the nutrient processes within the soil. The hydrochemical processes studied in the peat soil indicate increased phosphate and ammonium availability in rewetted peat soil. The influx of new nutrients, from fertilization or the water source, did not have a substantial impact on the nutrient availability within the soil pore water. | |
