Kilkenny geoscientist maps Ireland's 'breathing bogs' from outer space

iCRAG (the SFI Research Centre in Applied Geosciences) recently held a major research showcase and conference in Dublin in early December at which the work of more than 150 iCRAG researchers was showcased and 30 speakers discussed how geoscientists can help tackle climate change. 

One of the  key speakers was Kilkenny-native Dr Eoghan Holohan (from Ballyragget), an Earth Scientist at UCD, whose research focuses on the role of satellite technology in the mapping, protection and restoration of peatland, including Clara Bog.

As peatlands are a major long-term reservoir of carbon, accurately monitoring changes in peatland areas can play a role in assisting Ireland in meeting climate policy goals. The concept of monitoring ancient wetlands like bogs with state of the art satellite technology may seem  unusual,  but using ultra modern technology to explore the natural world provides unique insights into how climate change is affecting key natural habitats. 

Monitoring the motion of the bog surface from space, Dr Holohan looks at establishing links between the groundwater table in the bog and how this water table impacts the health of the bog and its role in retaining and trapping carbon dioxide. 

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Bog peat is the accumulation of dead plant and animal matter over thousands of years which have a ‘huge store of carbon stored within’, according to Eoin. A high water table keeps oxygen in the bog and prevents the release of carbon dioxide.  Conversely, draining peatland for farming or bleeding it, leads to a decrease in the water table so that peat moves nearer to the surface and is exposed to air which then leads to the release of carbon dioxide. 

As Eoin’s research reveals, the surface of the bog starts to subside as water leaches from the peatland. This subsidence is then linked to the emission of carbon. By tracking and collating these bog movements, Eoin hopes to inform how we manage and protect bogs into the future. By establishing a baseline for ‘good bog health’, restoration works can be reviewed and their progress monitored going forward.

Mediation work including blocking drains and restoring water tables may prove invaluable in restoring bog health and  their carbon-trapping efficiency. 

Dr Holohan has been using Clara bog as a case study in his research, and imaging it using radar satellites 700 to 800 km above  the earth every 6 to 12 days. Because it was a well-studied bog in the past, it is possible to compare the data he is collecting now to the data mapping the bog undertaken before. So advanced is this satellite technology, that it can detect movements in terms of millimetres on the bog surface.  

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While Eoin is in the early stages of his research, his work is moving rapidly. The surface displacements he is observing could have implications for CO2 emissions and therefore global warming.  He is assisted in his research by Dr Simone Fraschi, Dr Alexis Hrysiewicz and Dr Shane Regan of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. 

In his previous work Eoin has studied volcanoes and sinkholes. In fact it was his research into sinkholes in the West of Ireland which led him to study  bogs.  While he didn’t find evidence of sinkholes in the West he did start to observe the moving bog phenomenon. 

Eoin concludes that because peatlands are sensitive to the water table and therefore changes in the climate there is a ‘cost attached to the loss of bogs’ not only in terms of ecosystems but also the services they provide such as natural filtration. As peatlands  also form10 to 15% of Ireland's entire country they are ‘very important’ to our welfare.  

Tracking our bogs’ ‘breathing’ via their ground surface rising and falling up and down with the water table will hopefully establish a baseline in how to monitor the health and preservation of our boglands into the future.