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“To me, research conducted on this mire has been quite an adventure in the wild,” says Professor and Ylpässuo Open Lab leader Elina Oksanen of the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences.  

“My own background is in forest and plant research. However, our university is home to researchers with a long track record in research on peatlands and mires, and our department has conducted plenty of research into their ecology and Sphagnum moss species.” 

Funded by the Horizon Programme of the European Union, the REWET project explores the state of wetlands across Europe, including Finland. The goal is to minimise harmful greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands and, using various conservation and restoration methods, maximise their carbon uptake.  

REWET’s seven Open Labs explore wetland restoration and monitor greenhouse gas fluxes with the Eddy Covariance (EC) method. They also measure biodiversity, analyse ecosystem services, develop innovation activities, and model and produce scalable data. 

“The Ylpässuo mire in Kiuruvesi is a scenic, minerotrophic open mire with several endangered plant and bird species. Seemingly untouched, the mire nevertheless is affected by earlier human activity. Drainage ditches in the nearby forest areas have deteriorated the mire’s water economy for decades,” Oksanen says.  

And that’s precisely what makes Ylpässuo a perfect site for wetland research. 

“Ylpässuo is completely different from the other six wetlands selected for the study. Each region has its unique climatic and geographical conditions, wetland types, social and cultural structures, pressures for change, vulnerabilities such as natural disasters, and governance structures,” Oksanen explains.

The mosaic-like mire is typical of Finland with its grassy and shrubby hummocks, metres-thick layer of Sphagnum moss, and also hard forest floor.

“This summer, Ylpässuo has been thriving due to abundant rainfall. The water balance of a mire ecosystem is known to affect carbon fluxes. Our preliminary results indicate that at times, the mire acts as a source of methane.”

New DNA methods for species identification 

Starting research on the mire last spring required a lot of effort from the researchers and the research technician. No traces can be left on the conserved mire, nor can any kind of planks be built. All research equipment had to be carried to the site by hand or be pulled there on a sled. Electricity for the research equipment is produced by solar panels.

Oksanen has started plant research at the site. Working together with students of biology, she has identified different plant species and collected samples, and students have recorded their observations in the open Laji.fi database. 

“Certain indicator species can be used to make interpretations of the humidity of, and the nutrients in, the peatland soil. Some more exotic plants, such as great sundews and lots of early-marsh orchids, have also been found on the mire. Sphagnum mosses that could be suitable for laboratory cultivation, are of specific interest,” she says.

“Thankfully, no cloudberries grow on this mire, so not too many people come wandering in.”

Ylpässuo is home to various animals, large carnivores and protected birds. One can also see lizards and spiders running on the Sphagnum moss. 

“This is a complex mire with many different microhabitats and plenty of biodiversity,” Doctoral Researcher Jiri Vihavainen says.

Last summer, Vihavainen and other researchers visited several mires across Finland to collect material for DNA metabarcoding. Using DNA metabarcoding, the goal is to create a species inventory framework for these mires, allowing future monitoring and comparison to see how the insect fauna changes over the years. At the same time, DNA methods are being developed for species identification.

“My doctoral dissertation explores ‘dark diversity’ with the help of DNA methods. This mire was chosen for my study because of the REWET project – it’s nice to increase the geographical coverage by including some material from North Savo. The other mires are located in Lieksa, Lapland and Pyhtää,” Vihavainen says. 

Measurement data is used for climate modelling

Besides the visible parts of the mire, the conditions in the atmosphere and ground water are also being studied.

Fluxes of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane are measured using the Eddy Covariance (EC) method which measures the carbon flux and water molecules in the atmospheric boundary layer.

“Eddy Covariance is the most reliable and accurate method for studying the carbon cycle of large areas, i.e., those over one hectare in size. The EC station operates automatically and requires little maintenance. The amount of data obtained is vast, and their storage, processing, analysis and visualisation takes time,” Oksanen says.

The measuring devices are placed in a specific location on the mire according to wind direction, and so far, they have worked well without any remarkable interruptions.

“Liang Chen, a doctoral researcher at our department, has obtained very good data from the measuring devices. Once the data have been analysed, we’ll see whether the mire acts as a sink or as a source of carbon, and how the situation changes over the course of the summer,” Oksanen says.

The data obtained from the measuring devices are stored in a common EU database and used for modelling.

Ylpässuo’s water quality, on the other hand, is studied by researchers from the University of Oulu using pipes installed on the mire. Led by Professor Tiina Leiviskä, the Chemical Process Engineering research group investigates water quality, nutrients, conductivity, pH, temperature, dissolved organic matter and dissolved gases.

Measurements at Ylpässuo have been completed for the year, and only maintenance is currently ongoing at the site. In March, the solar panels are expected to start producing electricity again, and another season of research can begin.

“Hopefully, more area of Ylpässuo will be conserved and its restoration could continue. It is also important to give nature a chance to restore itself, because that’s what nature does best.”