Balance greenhouse gas fluxes from the Belarus peat deposits used for industrial peat extraction

Abstract

The aim of the study Spatial and temporal dynamics of greenhouse gases from the peat of Belarus used for industrial peat extraction to obtain new coefficients of basic CO₂ emissions aimed at improving the monitoring, reporting, verification and transition to the 2nd higher inventory level compared to the currently used 1st by "default".

Location and time of the study. The research was carried out in the peat-producing fields of the Grichino-Starobinsky peat deposit (cadastral number 1186) of the Soligorsky district of the Minsk region in the period from May to September in 2022-2024.

Methods. The IR spectroscopy method was used for daily instrumental measurements of CO₂ at thematic calibration and reference sites in real time from the main surface of peat extraction fields using a LI-COR LI-820 gas analyzer. The static chamber method was used to measure the balance fluxes of climatically active greenhouse gases CO₂, CH₄, N₂O from channels of the drainage system of peat extraction fields. In-house processing of the results of field instrumental measurements was carried out using software from CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC (Australia) and a Chromatek-Kristall 5000.2 gas chromatograph (Russia) with electron capture and flame ionization detectors for CO₂, CH₄, N₂O.

Results. For the first time in Belarus, new data on CO₂ emissions from peat used for industrial peat extraction during the measurement season of May-September 2022-2024 have been obtained using real-time IR spectroscopy at the Grichino-Starobinsky test site. It was found that the total specific CO₂ emissions over the 3-year measurement period amounted to 10,33 t/ha, including 3,46 t/ha in 2022, 5,61 t/ha in 2023, and 1,26 t/ha in 2024. The main factors influencing CO₂ emissions are the temperature regime and the UGV level. Thus, the maximum emissions occurred in 2023, due to abnormally high temperatures and low moisture content of the peat deposit. On the contrary, the lowest values of CO₂ emission coefficients were recorded in 2024 due to flooding of the reference sites with groundwater and the resulting anaerobic conditions. The spatiotemporal dynamics of CO₂ emissions by month for the entire study period were: 1,14 t/ha; 1,26 t/ha; 3,21 t/ha; 2,63 t/ha and 2,09 t/ha, respectively, in May, June, July, August and September.

Conclusions. The presented results on CO₂ emissions were obtained under the conditions of the established baseline scenario of peat deposits used for industrial peat extraction, and are aimed at creating standardized baseline indicators of greenhouse gas emissions in the real conditions of modern peat extraction. This approach has the potential to reduce transaction costs, increase transparency, objectivity, and predictability. The reference base coefficients can also serve as a basis for creating estimated and predictive spatial models of greenhouse gas emissions from the peatlands of Belarus in modern conditions of their anthropogenic development. Currently, based on the research results, a technology for remote monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions has been developed, implemented by the information support software package, which has passed the 2nd stage of trial operation (Act dated 03/25/2025) and will be transferred to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Belarus for use in their practical activities.