WETSCAPES2.0 is organized to investigate rewetted fen peatlands as novel “wetscapes 2.0” across processes, spatial scales, and disciplinary perspectives. The Collaborative Research Centre integrates ecological, biogeochemical, hydrological, and modeling approaches within a coherent research framework.
The scientific structure combines:
- Four Overarching Research Questions (ORQs) addressing key ecosystem functions
- Three spatial Project Areas (A–C) that reflect different process scales
- Dedicated Synthesis Projects integrating results across disciplines
- Central Projects supporting coordination, infrastructure, data management, training, and outreach
This ensures that processes are studied from the micro-scale of soil and roots up to landscape and climate interactions, and that findings are integrated across disciplines and scales. Each subproject contributes to several research questions and works closely with other projects through shared field sites, coordinated experiments, and integrated modeling approaches.
Overarching Research Questions
All research activities contribute to four central questions that structure the scientific integration of the Collaborative Research Centre:
ORQ1
What drives production and consumption in rewetted peatlands?
ORQ3
How are matter, energy and information exchanged within and beyond rewetted peatlands?
ORQ2
What and how much is stored in rewetted peatlands?
ORQ4
How do rewetted peatlands interact with and feed back to the landscape and beyond?
Project Areas: From Processes to Landscapes
Operational level (mm–m)
Projects in Area A investigate the fundamental biological and biogeochemical processes within rewetted peat soils.
They focus on:
- Plant–microbe interactions
- Greenhouse gas production and consumption
- Peat formation processes
- Process-based modeling
Area A provides the mechanistic understanding of how rewetted peatlands function at the operational level.
Functional Processes within Peatlands (m–km)
Projects in Area B examine how processes interact spatially within peatlands.
They focus on:
- Carbon cycling and greenhouse gas exchange
- Vegetation patterns and ecosystem functioning
- Hydrological dynamics and peat physical properties
- Remote sensing of peatland development
Area B links small-scale mechanisms to ecosystem-scale functioning and spatial heterogeneity.
Large-Scale Interactions (km+)
Project Area C examines rewetted peatlands as components of larger hydrological and climate systems.
They focus on:
- Ecohydrological modeling of water storage and pathways
- Landscape-level vegetation responses
- Land–atmosphere interactions
- Assessment of climate mitigation potential
Area C integrates peatland processes into landscape-scale and Earth system perspectives.
Synthesis: Interdisciplinary Integration
Synthesis projects are aligned with one Overarching Research Question and ensure:
- Coordinated data generation and exchange
- Cross-project analysis
- Integration across spatial scales
- Reduction of model uncertainty through multi-criteria calibration
This structure enables systematic upscaling from process-level understanding to landscape and climate implications.
