Scientists explore hidden dynamics in peat under mosses and shrubs

Aerial view of the experimental site in Siberia © EPFL/Yugra State University, Khanty-Mansiysk - Global warming is causing extensive changes to peatland vegetation in Europe and Western Siberia, with consequences for soil composition and the peatlands' ability to sequester carbon. An EPFL-led study has examined the mechanisms behind these complex processes. Peatlands are significant carbon sinks, meaning they're potential time bombs when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet a lot remains to be learned about some of the processes in these unique ecosystems - information that'll be key to better understanding the challenges we'll face as a result of climate change. For the past several years, Alexandre Buttler has been studying the underlying mechanisms of peatlands. Buttler is an EPFL professor emeritus and former head of the Ecological Systems Laboratory at EPFL's School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), and his latest research was published recently in Global Change Biology . "We wanted to investigate the processes that are characteristic of these ecosystems, taking into account both above-ground factors, like the climate and vegetation, and below-ground ones, such as microorganisms," says Buttler.