7th May 2024
7th May 2024
Wetlands research of Land and forest Iceland at the VistÍs 2024 Conference
At the recent annual conference of the Icelandic Ecological Society, scientists from Land and Forest Iceland presented the results of research on the relationship between water level and carbon dioxide emissions from Icelandic peatlands, as well as the effects of changing water level on bryophytes.
The conference was held on April 5, 2024, at Askja, the University of Iceland's Natural Sciences building. The conference was organised in collaboration with the University of Iceland's Research Centres. Several employees from Land and Forest Iceland participated in the conference.
A diverse array of compelling and educational subjects was scheduled for discussion at the conference. These topics were biodiversity, dryland ecology, marine ecology, fish ecology, conservation ecology and the behavioural ecology of birds.
Representatives from Land and Forest Iceland presented two posters detailing the results from their peatland monitoring projects. First, Vigdís Freyja Helmutsdóttir, Ölvir Styrmisson, Sunna Áskelsdóttir, and Ágústa Helgadóttir shared their preliminary findings on the correlation between water level height and carbon dioxide respiration of Icelandic peatlands across various states of disturbance, including natural, drained, and rewetted conditions.
Poster: Water table height as a predictor of peatland respiration
Secondly, Ágústa Helgadóttir, Vigdís Freyja Helmutsdóttir, and Sunna Áskelsdóttir conducted vegetation surveys in various peatland types in SW Iceland. Their initial findings indicate that bryophytes are highly responsive to water level fluctuations and land use changes. Consequently, the abundance and composition of bryophyte species could potentially serve as indicators of the level of peatland degradation.
Poster: Biodiversity changes in drained Icelandic peatlands
Source: Björk Sigurjónsdóttir and Vigdís Freyja Helmutsdóttir
