Peatlands, though covering only 3 % of the global land surface, play an active role in the Critical Zone (CZ) by mediating substantial water and carbon exchanges with adjacent aquifers, surface waters, and the atmosphere. These ecosystems provide key services, such as carbon and water storage and local climate regulation, addressing contemporary challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and water resource management. However, peatlands are increasingly threatened by global pressures, including climate change, and local disturbances, such as drainage for agriculture, forestry, and peat extraction. To mitigate these threats, it is essential to understand the hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes governing peatland dynamics across spatiotemporal scales.

To explore the factors controlling greenhouse gases sources, production, and transport in peatlands, an interdisciplinary field campaign was conducted at the Frasne peatland (7 ha, 46.826°N, 6.1754°E, 840 m a.s.l.), a long-term observatory since 2008. The site is part of the French CZ research infrastructure (OZCAR) and the long term ecological research site Jurassian Arc, which focuses on the interaction between human and nature. The campaign was supported by the TERRA FORMA project, which develops smart, connected, low-cost, and low-impact environmental sensors to monitor CZ trajectories in the Anthropocene.

The fieldwork integrated microbiological analyses of peat material, including membrane lipid profiling to trace microbial metabolisms, combined with detailed hydrogeochemical investigations of peat pore water along lateral flow and depth gradients. Measurements included physicochemical parameters (temperature, electrical conductivity, pH) and major elements, dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC and DIC), CO₂, and CH₄ concentration, as well as their isotopic characterization (δ¹⁸O, δ²H, δ¹³C) . Additionally, greenhouse gases fluxes were quantified at multiple scales, employing methods such as dissolved gas profiling, chamber measurements, eddy covariance, and UAV-based surveys.

This multiscale approach aims to tackle critical challenges in peatland research and management, including

1. three-dimensional quantification of carbon fluxes (lateral and vertical) at the ecosystem scale;
2. characterization of hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes that modulate greenhouse gases and dissolved carbon production and transport; and
3. development of accessible and efficient tools for addressing these pressing environmental issues.

Isotopes, Dissolved Organic Carbon, Unmaned Aerial Vehicle, Carbon-13

Noémie Poteaux

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