Benjamin Freeman

Bangor University · School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography

Drained, lowland agricultural peatlands are greenhouse gas (GHG) emission hotspots and a large but vulnerable store of irrecoverable carbon. They exhibit soil loss rates of ~2.0 cm yr‐1 and are estimated to account for 32% of global cropland emissions whilst producing only 1.1% of crop kilocalories. Carbon dioxide emissions account for >80% of thei...

Drained peatlands support highly profitable agriculture, but also represent a globally important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Grasslands can typically be maintained at higher water levels than croplands, so conversion of cropland to grassland represents a potential CO2 mitigation strategy that allows for continued agricultural producti...

Drainage and cultivation have turned peatlands from carbon (C) sinks into hotspots for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Raising the water table and planting of winter cover crops are potential strategies to help reduce peat oxidation and re-initiate net C accumulation during the non-cropping period. However, the effects of these practices as well as...