Ecosystem scale evapotranspiration and net CO2 exchange from a restored peatland

An understanding of the symbiotic water and gas exchange processes at the e cosystem scale is essential to the development of appropriate restoration p lans of extracted peatlands. This paper presents ecosystem scale measuremen ts of the atmospheric exchange of water and carbon dioxide (CO2) from a res tored vacuum extracted peatland in eastern Quebec, utilizing full-scale mic rometeorological measurements of both evaporation and CO2. The results indi cate that the adopted restoration practices reduce the loss of water from t he peat, but CO2 emissions are similar to 25% greater than an adjacent nonr estored comparison site. The blockage of drainage ditches and the existence of a mulch cover at the site keep the moisture conditions more or less con stant. Consequently, the CO2 flux, which is predominantly soil respiration, is strongly controlled by peat temperature fluctuations. Copyright (C) 200 1 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.