Surface moisture and energy exchange from a restored peatland, Québec, Canada

Measurements of micrometeorological variables were made for two snow-free periods at a Restored vacuum harvested and non-restored (Comparison) section of a peatland in eastern Québec, Canada. Measurements of evapotranspiration and surface heat fluxes were obtained using an eddy correlation energy balance system at the Restored site and a combination Priestley–Taylor and lysimeter approach at the Comparison site. At the ecosystem scale, the energy, water and gas exchange processes are strongly coupled. Through harvesting, a peatland may lose most of its surface vegetation cover, altering the thermal regime of the peat, while the drier conditions required for the harvesting drastically alters the system's hydrology. The measurements indicate that the adopted restoration practices (blockage of drainage ditches and the spreading of a surface mulch layer) reduce the loss of water from the peat leading to the regrowth of natural vegetation at the Restored site. The Restored site lost approximately 13 and 8% less water to evapotranspiration than the Comparison site in 2000 and 2001, respectively.