A review of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from Irish peatlands

Abstract

Since peatlands cover around 20 % of the land area in the Republic of Ireland, their management is of particular significance in reducing national greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. We reviewed peatland carbon (C) flux studies within Ireland, extracting data for carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide fluxes, as well as fluvial losses and here propose preliminary country-specific emission factors (EFs) for various peatland land uses and management practices. Using our derived EFs and latest areal estimates, national emissions from peatlands (excluding horticulture and combustion) amount to 1.9 Mt C y-¹ (± 0.4–3.4 Mt C y-¹), with more than half of all peatland GHG emissions coming from grasslands on organic soils and over one-third from domestic extraction drained peatlands. Our analyses suggest that peatland management through rewetting and restoration has the potential to substantially reduce emissions from drained peatlands, and this article attempts to quantify this reduction. This is critically important given the large areas of degraded peatlands that have been earmarked for rewetting in the next decade.

Keywords

• carbon
• climate change
• emission factors
• ireland
• peatlands