# Drained Agricultural Peatlands as Persistent Carbon Sources: Implications for Carbon and Water Use Intensity in Food Production

## TL;DR

Drained peatlands used for agriculture emit significant CO2, with certain crops like lettuce and celery using much more carbon and water per calorie produced than cereals.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive dataset of CO2 and water fluxes from lowland peat croplands and calculates carbon and water use intensities for different crops.

## Key findings

- Croplands on peat emitted an average of 23.1 ± 10.4 ton CO2 ha−1 y−1.
- Lettuce and celery rotations were the most carbon and water use intensive crops.
- Effective water table depth and organic carbon content were main drivers of CO2 emissions.

## Abstract

Peatlands have the capacity to sequester large quantities of carbon and can therefore play an important role in climate change mitigation. However, anthropogenic activities alter their hydrological regimes, converting them from net CO2 sinks into net sources. In England and elsewhere, lowland peatlands have been heavily drained and modified for agricultural land use, resulting in some of the most productive farmland in the UK. Estimates of CO2 emissions and water use from the area are scarce, but these data are required to understand the consequences of maintaining agricultural output whilst simultaneously reducing GHG emissions. In this paper, we compiled a uniquely comprehensive dataset of CO2 and H2O flux measurements from flux towers on cropped lowland peat, and coupled this with crop calorific values to estimate carbon and water use intensities of food production on peat. Our results showed that croplands on peat emitted 23.1 ± 10.4 ton CO2 ha−1 y−1 (mean ± SD). Sites with peat depth > 40 cm emitted 25.1 ± 9.2 ton CO2 ha−1, while wasted peat sites emitted 11.8 ± 4.8 ton CO2 ha−1. Effective water table depth and organic carbon content were the main drivers of variation in annual net ecosystem production and ecosystem respiration across sites; crop type partly followed these gradients, so may not be a direct driver of variations in emissions. ET was less variable across site‐years and depended on the phenology of crop production. When considering CO2 emissions and water use per calorie produced, lettuce and celery rotations were the most C and water use intensive crops, with values an order of magnitude larger than cereal crops. Overall, this paper highlights the scale of CO2 emissions from managed peatlands and the importance of balancing GHG emissions and water use with ongoing food production from these economically important areas.

Peatlands have the capacity to sequester large quantities of carbon and can therefore play an important role in climate change mitigation. However, anthropogenic activities alter their hydrological regimes, converting them from net CO2 sinks into net sources. Our results showed that even though sugar beet, maize, and beans exhibited the highest emissions, when considering CO2 emissions and water use per calorie produced, lettuce and celery rotations stood out as the most C and water use intensive crops, with values an order of magnitude larger than cereal crops. Overall, this paper highlights the scale of CO2 emissions from managed peatlands and the importance of balancing GHG emissions and water use with ongoing food production from these economically important areas.