Peatland Monitoring for Climate Protection

As important carbon stores, peat soils must be protected in the future, and drained peatlands must be re-wetted. To enable their continued agricultural use, novel wireless sensors with underground radio communication are to be researched and developed. These sensors aim to monitor both the CO₂ emissions from peatlands and the nitrate pollution of groundwater in agriculturally used soils, allowing efficient measures to protect the environment and health to be derived based on the measured values.

Technical Implementation

An innovative LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) technology is being used, which allows measurement data from many sensors to be sent simultaneously over long distances with minimal power. The sensors are designed to remain in the soil at depths of up to 40 cm for decades. Special emphasis is placed on developing novel antenna concepts that ensure reliable communication under the demanding conditions in the soil.

Benefits of the Project

Peatlands play a crucial role in climate protection because, in their natural state, they store more carbon than all the world's forests combined. Re-wetting peatlands is therefore essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The project enables the regulation of water levels in peatlands so that they can continue to be used agriculturally while ensuring climate protection through the binding of carbon in the peat body. By monitoring the nitrate content in the soil, the use of fertilizers can also be optimized and groundwater pollution reduced, resulting in a direct benefit for sustainable agriculture and environmental protection.