Long-term rewetting of degraded peatlands restores hydrological buffer function

Abstract

Precipitation is a key factor affecting shallow water table fluctuations. Although the literature on shallow aquifers is vast, groundwater response to precipitation in peatlands has received little attention so far. Characterizing groundwater response to precipitation events in differently managed peatlands can give insight into ecohydrological processes. In this study we determined the groundwater table response rate following precipitation events at a drained and a rewetted fen to characterize the effect of rewetting on hydrological buffer capacity. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the groundwater table at the rewetted fen has more than two times lower rate of response to precipitation events than that of the drained fen, even after adjusting for antecedent groundwater levels. Thus, the rewetted fen delivers a better hydrological buffer function against heavy precipitation events than the drained fen. We found that for the depths at which the groundwater interacts with incoming precipitation, the peat of the rewetted fen has a higher specific yield causing groundwater to rise slower compared to the response at the drained fen. A period of 20 years of rewetting was sufficient to form a new layer of organic material with a significant fraction of macropores providing storage capacity. Long-term rewetting has the potential to create favorable conditions for new peat accumulation, thereby altering water table response. Our study has implications for evaluating the success of restoration measures with respect to hydrological functions of percolation fens.

Keywords: Groundwater response; Hydrological restoration; Percolation fens; Soil physical properties.