Summer 2021 Fieldwork – Part 1

From the 31st May to the 4th June we set out on the first of two fieldwork expeditions planned for this summer. This was our first time on a bog together in over a year! We were a team of five, made up of researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Aberdeen.

On this trip we sampled bogs in Migneint, Wales and Stean Estate, England. These bogs were in a variety of conditions, including drained with open ditches, drained and restored by ditch blocking, and one site in Wales that was minimally affected by drainage.

On site we extracted peat cores, measured the peat depth, took pH readings and performed a vegetation survey. Back in the lab we are performing bulk property measurements, molecular characterization and microbial community analysis on the peat. This data will be used to understand how healthy bogs sequester carbon, and what effect drainage and restoration has on this process.

Thanks to the national trust in Snowdonia and the landowner and estate manager at Stean Estate for giving us access to the sampling sites. We had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful scenery in both Snowdonia and Yorkshire. Photos below by D.U.