Public evening lecture by Dr Bärbel Tiemeyer (Thünen Institute, Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture)

Peatlands consist of up to 95 per cent water, but the discussion about peatlands and peatland use often revolves around plants, peat and greenhouse gases. Hydrological issues, such as water availability and flooding, are sometimes presented in a highly simplified way, but are nevertheless the subject of controversial debate. In my presentation, I will show which processes are important for understanding peatland hydrology, what surprises measurement data can bring and why generalisation at landscape level is so difficult.

Bärbel Tiemeyer studied Land Culture and Environmental Protection at the University of Rostock and Sustainable Management for the Water Environment at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (UK). After completing her doctorate on nutrient discharges from artificially drained catchment areas at the University of Rostock, she moved to the Thünen Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture in Braunschweig, where she heads the Mire Research working group. Important tasks of the working group are, for example, the further development of methods for the German greenhouse gas inventory and the establishment of a Germany-wide peatland monitoring system in open land. In addition, the research focuses on understanding hydrological processes, soil properties and greenhouse gas exchange for the further development, modelling and evaluation of land use options for wet peatland soils.

Moderation: Professor Dr Jürgen Kreyling