This is the first presentation from our EPA/WaterJPI-funded project, WaterPeat (Water management for the sustainable use and protection of peatlands).

1. “Water management for sustainable use
and protection of peatlands
(WaterPeat)”

2. Description of Project
WaterPeat aims to address knowledge gaps on effective peatland
management by:
• Studying hydrological and geochemical processes in peatland
under different management regimes
• Develop and test methods to reduce nutrient leaching following
peatland drainage
• Develop with stakeholders improved options for land use planning
to reduce downstream environmental impacts and provide
guidance for management practices

3. Project Team
Prof Bjørn Kløve
(WaterJPI
Project
Coordinator)
Dr Hanna Silennoinen Prof Mark Healy
Dr Oisín Callery
Stephen Monteverde (PhD student)
Dr Eve Daly
David O’Leary (PhD student)

4. Expected Outcomes
Work Package 1
Analysis of peatland use impacts on hydrology and water quality
Objective:
• To improve understanding on how
peatland hydrology and water quality
change with land use and management
practices
• Management practices –
restoration/drainage, fertilization, etc.
Deliverable:
Data on key water quality parameters from lab and site experiments.

5. Expected Outcomes
Work Package 2
Solutions for efficient water management and water quality
control
Objective:
• Assess mitigation options to reduce nutrient, metal, sediment and
carbon losses
• Novel media for soil amendments
• Controlled drainage
• Drainage water treatment
Deliverables:
Literature review on restoration and land management options
Identification of suitable media/management options for drainage
water treatment

6. Expected Outcomes
Work Package 3*
Tools for integrated land and water management on peat soils
Objective:
• To develop tools that can be used in peatland planning and
management
• To use data from WP1 and WP2 to assist in modelling of
management options, future climate impacts, etc.
Deliverables:
Visually appealing schematics on peatland processes and mitigation
options
Report on modelling, analysis of extreme events and future climate impacts
Options for efficient monitoring and management
* Will not be lead by Irish partners, but we will input data to JPI project leaders (U. Oulu)

7. Expected Outcomes
Work Package 4
Stakeholder involvement and communication for best management
Objective:
• To engage in dialogue with stakeholders
• To inform stakeholders about project
results
• To provide user-friendly outputs
Deliverables:
Newsletter, policy briefs, etc.

8. SWAMP SMARTBOG
WATERPEAT
Primarily lab-based
Soil cores collected from site
Scenario modelling conducted in lab and validated
on site
Shared site
on Garryduff
bog
Link with existing EPA-funded projects

9. Developments since last steering
committee meeting
Stakeholder
meeting
with Bord
na Móna
(BnM)
May June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec
EPA kickoff
meeting for
project
Site visits
with BnM to
identify
potential
study site
Project
kickoff and
stakeholder
meeting in
Finland
Stephen
commenced
work on
project
Skype and face-
to-face meetings
with other EPA-
funded projects to
identify study sites
(incl. David Styles
- SeQUEsTER)
Garryduff
study site
identified and
site visit with
BnM, SWAMP
and SmartBog
Lit review
commenced
Tellus and ERT
testing examined
Lab unit designed
and fabricated
Safety induction
compete
Remote Sensing
expertise from Eve
Daly and David
O’Leary (Dept of
Earth and Ocean
Sciences)

10. Additional Developments
• BnM safety inductions for all parties involved in ground based research and
laboratory safety inductions have been completed
• Meeting with Terry Morley (Care-Peat) and site visits to Cloncrow and Cavemount
with EU reps and stakeholders
• Commenced training on Thermo Konelab nutrient analyzer and completed SOPs
and RAs
• Design and fabrication of two soil column support rigs to accommodate sampling
for WP1 – in the process of being delivered.

11. Stakeholder/social engagement (WP4)
Total number of impressions (times people saw a tweet): 11147
Total engagements (times people interacted with a tweet): 522
Our first newsletter (released
on 23.9.19) received the most
impressions (1584)

12. Stakeholder/social engagement (WP4)
Engagement with
stakeholders
Consultation meeting with Bord
na Móna (May 2019)
Engagement with other
ongoing peatland projects
Meeting with Terry Morley of
CarePeat project (May 2019)
Finnish stakeholder meeting
(August 2019)
Site visit to Garryduff bog with EPA-funded
SWAMP and SmartBog projects and Bord na
Móna (May 2019)
Engagement with experts
in the area of remote
sensing
Dr Eve Daly
(NUIG)
David O’Leary
(NUIG)

13. Spatial Analysis Performed by Experts in
Earth and Ocean Sciences, NUI Galway
(Dave O’Leary and Eve Daly)
2009 Bord na
Móna GPR
Survey
2009 – 2015
peat extraction
assumed at a
rate of ~ 12 cm
annually
2015 Bord na
Móna GPS
ground
elevation survey
2016 (June)
Tellus block A2
freely available
data

14. Tellus airborne survey and reported data
• Carried out by the Geological Survey
Ireland, the national program (Tellus)
has been gathering airborne
geophysical data in the Republic of
Ireland since 2011.
• To date, roughly 60% of Ireland’s
subsurface has been mapped using
magnetic, electromagnetic, and
radiometric properties.

15. Radiometric dataset and what is measured
• For the sake of making a feasible desk based
inference, the freely available radiometric dataset
for Co. Galway was used to characterize the
Garryduff cutaway.
• The radiometric survey detects and maps gamma
emission from minerals in rocks and soils.
Gamma rays are emitted through the natural
decay of potassium, thorium, and uranium.
• As the aircraft passes over land a gamma
spectrometer in the rear of the plane detects
gamma radiation through the top 60 cm soil profile
and quantifies the detection as count data.

16. Garryduff boundary with Tellus flight lines
Flight lines in blue are
spaced 200 meters apart

17. Radiometrics in relation to peat
• Low Total Count – Low count readings are
likely due to the bog holding onto water. Water
absorbs the gamma radiation emitted via the
minerals underneath a peat layer. A gamma
spectrometer is less likely to detect radiation
through a saturated layer.
• High Total Count – High counts could be due to
a dry subsurface/ dry peat or shallow peat
layers. Gamma radiation is more easily detected
under these conditions.

18. An ability to detect bog boundaries
(regional Tellus coverage near Garryduff)
Garryduff bog

19. Datasets Acquired from Bord na Mona
• 2009 GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) Survey
Conducted using a device that is pushed
along the ground surface as it sends out and
receives a high frequency radar pulse. These
are used to detect void spaces within the
ground as the radar waves travel through
empty spaces much more easily than solid
earth.
• 2015 GPS Survey
Elevation data was acquired in transect formation,
similar to the GPR survey.

20. 2016 Peat Depth Estimates Using Historical
Data From Bord na Móna
From GPR
Assumed from
Elevation change
Assumed a removal of 20cm
between 2015 an 2016
X Y 2009_GPR (Z) 2015_GPS (Z) 2015 - 2009 2009_Peat Depth 2015_Peat_Depth 2016_Peat_Depth
593985 724455 33.6665535 34.3655777 0.6990242 1.125487924 1.824512124 1.624512124
593995 724455 33.5759964 34.43122864 0.855232239 1.046006441 1.90123868 1.70123868
594005 724455 34.20405579 34.48065567 0.276599884 1.775025725 2.051625609 1.851625609
594015 724455 35.15460205 34.49788284 -0.656719208 2.719801664 2.063082457 1.863082457
594025 724455 35.62299347 34.46970367 -1.153289795 3.141487122 1.988197327 1.788197327
594035 724455 35.94724655 34.44951248 -1.49773407 3.41263628 1.91490221 1.71490221
594045 724455 36.2098999 34.43021774 -1.779682159 3.595930099 1.81624794 1.61624794
594055 724455 36.01735687 34.32498932 -1.692367554 3.363213301 1.670845747 1.470845747
594065 724455 35.95550537 34.14902878 -1.806476593 3.364073038 1.557596445 1.357596445
594075 724455 35.93225098 33.94511032 -1.987140656 3.359912395 1.37277174 1.17277174
594085 724455 36.10407639 33.75600433 -2.348072052 3.511454344 1.163382292 0.963382292
594455 724455 35.99900055 34.5302887 -1.468711853 3.3765769 1.907865047 1.707865047
594465 724455 36.14565659 34.58041763 -1.565238953 3.546390295 1.981151342 1.781151342
594505 724455 36.93014526 35.00531387 -1.92483139 3.782303572 1.857472181 1.657472181
594515 724455 36.95398331 35.23167801 -1.722305298 3.932853937 2.210548639 2.010548639
593955 724445 32.74024963 34.2157135 1.475463867 0.353320748 1.828784615 1.628784615
593965 724445 32.97774506 34.24339294 1.265647888 0.551312029 1.816959918 1.616959918

21. Garryduff Radiometric Output
• Low Tellus counts were detected within
the bog boundary. Blue regions suggest
that the soil is saturated and potentially
thicker in locations
• Yellow and red regions should indicate
dry or shallow layers of peat, or
mineralized soil.
• The map (left) implies that the site is not
completely homogeneous. This may
suggest differences in porosity, mineral
content and saturation, and also
differences in the transport of nutrients.

22. Current sample locations based on site
access and spatial analysis
Pt. 3 (-8.091452, 53.259091)
Pt. 1 (-8.076731, 53.253423)
Pt. 2 (-8.054228, 53.266074)

23. Spatial analysis assisted site selection through
depth approx., position under flight lines,
and through the radiometrics
Tellus Flight Lines
> 1 meter peat depth
Total Count
Value
High : 175
Low : -0

24. Identify how to maximise synergies between projects/
Discuss opportunities for collaboration/
Justify any potential duplication
Tellus data for soil core selection
Laboratory analysis using cores to investigate various
scenarios (fertiliser applications, rising/falling
watertable on soil chemistry and water quality)
Modelling
Data from lab studies to predict N and P
retention/release
Validation
Site work to validate laboratory measurements
Complete
Commencing
Feb 2020

25. Activities for the coming 6 months
Month Activity
Feb Collect soil cores from site (will interact with Matt
Saunders (TCD) and David Wall (Teagasc) for
methodology and location of sampling)
Mar Commence laboratory analysis on soil cores – various
water control scenarios investigated
May Present poster at EGU20 Peatlands conference in Vienna
June Literature review complete and paper submitted
June Present at wetlands conference at NUI Galway
(Aug) JPI Stakeholder meeting (Aug 19 and 20), held at NUI
Galway