Within the ‘LIFE AMooRe - Austrian Moor Restoration’ project (link to AMooRe here), we are responsible for determining the emission factors (CO2, CH4, N2O) of agriculturally utilised peat soils. So far there are only estimates - but that is not enough for the future. We want and need to know more precisely - so we need to measure! In the Enns Valley (Styria).
After months of preparation, installation and carrying out test measurements, we handed over the measuring equipment this March, at the start of the growing season, to colleagues who live in the immediate vicinity (as seen from Vienna) and who will be carrying out the two-week measurements. This is a nice feeling and feels right: the journey from Vienna to Irdning in the Enns Valley is not negligible - working together with local forces is an obvious option, but one that cannot always be realised. This time it was successful. The handover almost fell through - because it rained heavily. The forecast was for only 1-2 mm of precipitation - which we could have dealt with. But what came down then really affected us and the equipment, as the saying goes: climate is what you expect, weather is what you get!
What is new and therefore particularly exciting for us is the determination of N2O fluxes with mobile devices - i.e. in situ. Until now, we have done this with a gas chromatograph, which means that the gas samples are taken in the field and then measured in the laboratory. That's good - but it's better this way. In addition, two of the five sites we are investigating are fertilised. This is particularly interesting with regard to N2O rivers.
Apropops: we also have a new employee - weighs about 72 kg, makes a lot of noise and has an unusual name: ABB-GLA451-N2OI2. Sounds like a galaxy, but it's something much better: a nitrous oxide (N2O) isotope measuring device. It allows us to measure more than the inputs and outputs of systems - it allows us to look inside them. Let's see what we have to report on this in the future.
