Hydrological and hydrogeochemical regime of re-flooded raised bogs of the Borisov-Glussky peat region (Republic of Belarus)

   The article presents the results of research on re-watered raised bogs in the Borisovo-Gluss peat district of the peat-and-bog region of large raised and low-lying bogs in the gently undulating ablation plain of Belarus. They included the study of their hydrological regime (high, medium, and low annual values of groundwater levels and the amplitude of fluctuations), hydrochemical regime (total mineralization of groundwater, content of anions and cations, redox potential, and acidity), general technical characteristics of peat (botanical composition and degree of peat decomposition, moisture content, ash content, and carbon dioxide emission and absorption). It was found that after environmental rehabilitation measures, raised-type bogs undergo two stages of restoration of their hydrological and hydrogeochemical regimes. The positive effects of reirrigation, carried out over an area of 2,600 hectares, were observed: a 2.4-fold reduction in ground-water table depth, a reduction in fluctuation amplitude, and a halving of the active horizon. Consequently, the upper layers of the peat deposit were saturated with water, leading to the restoration of the species diversity of the bog phytocoenoses. Currently, pine-dwarf shrub-sphagnum phytocoenoses predominate here, with a total groundwater mineralization of up to 28–57 mg/L and a general hydrological background similar to that of the natural raised bogs of Belarus. Carbon emissions have been replaced by absorption and accumulation in the peat deposit. Thanks to the measures taken, the established hydrological regime of the peatlands will help mitigate the local climate within both the adjacent forest and agricultural areas, as well as ensure a sustainable habitat for biological diversity.

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