GHG Emissions

Fenland SOIL’s flux tower network uses eddy covariance flux towers in combination with field management information to identify emissions factors for different crops and soil types. Eddy covariance flux towers are used to monitor the movement of trace gases between the land surface and the atmosphere. They commonly measure exchanges of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and water vapor (H₂O). In addition, these systems include meteorological instruments that record environmental conditions such as air temperature, rainfall, wind, radiation, and soil temperature.

The Fenland SOIL flux tower network comprises sites at Littleport, Ely, and Chatteris, with two towers situated at Chatteris. Together, these sites cover a range of soil types from deep peat to organo-mineral soils and encompass a diversity of land management practices that are implemented across each site. 

Preliminary data from the Fenland SOIL project shows that deep peat has average annual emissions of 16t CO₂ equivalent per year. Skirt fen areas, with 12% organic matter, produce approximately 12.5t CO₂ equivalent per year. Fenland SOIL in collaboration with G’s Fresh ran an irrigation trial on skirt fen soils that recorded lower emissions of around 10t CO₂ equivalent per year. These figures are just one scenario for our flux tower sites and may differ in other parts of the Fens.