Core Zone / Peatland Monitoring

UNESCO Biosphäre Entlebuch   - Automated hydrological measurements are used to monitor the condition and development of a representative selection of raised bogs over the coming decades.

In a selection of raised bogs of different types, the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch monitors how they react to short-term (weather) and long-term (climate) meteorological events and developments. For this purpose, the water levels in these bogs are determined and stored every 60min with automatic water level gauges. The measurements are designed for decades in order to record and describe possible effects of climate change on the sensitive raised bogs. However, the data also allow monitoring of short-term events, such as how much water can be absorbed by the peat body of the bog from heavy precipitation or how quickly water drains from the bogs. Overall, the data provide interesting insights into the hydrology of peatlands that are rarely possible.