C-PEAT workshop: Peatland ecosystem services during the Anthropocene and beyond

The PAGES C-PEAT working group workshop "Peatland ecosystem services during the Anthropocene and beyond" will be held from 1-4 May 2019 in Exeter, UK.

Venue

University of Exeter

Description

The meeting guests will include experts from peatland paleo proxies/ecology, peatland modeling and peatland modern-day carbon fluxes. A few practitioners with experience in ecosystem services from peatlands are also invited. Both high-latitude and tropical peatlands will be considered.

Aims

The expected outcomes of the workshop are to:

1. integrate paleo proxies and flux measurements in process-based peat accumulation models, with an emphasis on "acrotelm" peat modeling, and
2. define the role of peatlands globally in terms of their ecosystem services, with an emphasis on carbon storage and climate change mitigation.

Workshop overview

Day 1: Kick off with an update on the "tipping points" C-PEAT community paper. Quick fire oral presentation sessions from all participants  & poster session.
Day 2: Morning: discussion on how to best integrate paleo proxies and flux measurements using models. Afternoon: Ecosystem services from peatlands: carbon storage – changes in the recent past, likely future projections.
Day 3: Discussion leading to the structure of a paper on peatland recent carbon accumulation – and future trajectories.
Day 4: Field trip to Dartmoor and further brainstorming towards paper structure/main figures – plus next C-PEAT meeting in Bangkok.

Program

Wednesday 1 May

08:30 Transport leaves from Hotels to University of Exeter
09:00 Reed Hall, University of Exeter. Coffee, tea and biscuits – icebreaker
10:00 Reed Hall, Start of the meeting. Welcome, update on previous community paper, announcement of future PAGES meetings
10:30 Presentations. All delegates will present a 5 min summary of their research
12:30 Lunch at Reed Hall
13:30 Continuation of presentations
15:30 Breakout groups – Organisation into groups. Start discussions on carbon storage in peatlands as an ecosystem service
18:00 Transport to Paschoe House
19:00 BBQ

Thursday 2 May: Carbon as an ecosystem service

08:30 Start of the meeting, The Paschoe House
08:30 Plenary from discussion the previous day. Followed by talks:

Oliver Sonnentag – FLUXNET trends in modern day-fluxes from peatlands
Torben Christensen – Methane trends – changes and latitudinal patterns
Michelle Garneau – Recent carbon accumulation in peatlands
Dylan Young – Modelling of recent carbon accumulation in peatlands
Julie Loisel – A dataset of recent carbon accumulation

10:30 Start of the breakout group work. Carbon as an Ecosystem Service. How do we reconcile C accumulation and fluxes? How do we tease out the apparent carbon accumulation increase in the top of the record and the climatic events that are likely to increase it too? How will this ES might change in the future
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Plenary discussion
14:00 Continuation of the breakout group work. Carbon as an Ecosystem Service. Focus on a paper outcome
17:00 Plenary discussion
18:00 As an intro to the following day’s discussion: David Large - inSAR and how this may relate to peatland health
19:00 Dinner at the New Inn at Colesford

Friday 3 May: Other ES in peatlands (water, biodiversity,incl. microbial, food provision, etc)

08:30 Start of the meeting, The Paschoe House

Graeme Swindles (given by Angela) – peatland health index
Jon Walker – Peatland ecosystem services
Morag Angus – Water provision from peatlands

09:30 Start of breakout group work:

Possible outcomes: 1) A map of peatland health status, 2) What does the paleo record tell us of the changes in ES since the Industrial Revolution? How can the paleo record inform predictions of future trajectories of ES? 3) A map of ES provided by peatlands.

12:30 Lunch
13:30 Work in break out groups
19:00 Dinner at the Paschoe House hotel.

Saturday 4 May: Field work and wrap-up work

09:00 Pickup from hotels to take us to Dartmoor
13:00-15:00 Cream tea and a chance for us to work together on the last bits and pieces. Sakonvan Chawchai: Announcement of the next CPEAT meeting in Bangkok
16.00 End of meeting

Online attendance

A few sections of the meeting will be broadcast online (webinar) so that C-PEATers who can't join will still be able to listen to talks, ask questions, and provide feedback.

Financial support

PAGES has provided some financial support to fund the attendance of several early-career researchers and researchers from less-favored countries.

Registration

Contact the meeting organizer Angela Gallego-Sala by 31 March 2019.

Further information

Contact Angela Gallego-Sala, Department of Geography, University of Exeter: show mail address

Post-meeting material