Effects of subsurface water infiltration systems on land movement dynamics in Dutch peat meadows
<p>Large-scale drainage and cultivation of peat soils over the last centuries, occurring worldwide, have resulted in substantial CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> emission and land subsidence caused by peat decomposition by microbial activity,...
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Copernicus Publications
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/29/1865/2025/hess-29-1865-2025.pdf |
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| author | S. van Asselen G. Erkens G. Erkens C. Fritz R. Hessel J. J. H. van den Akker |
| author_facet | S. van Asselen G. Erkens G. Erkens C. Fritz R. Hessel J. J. H. van den Akker |
| author_sort | S. van Asselen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Large-scale drainage and cultivation of peat soils over the last centuries, occurring worldwide, have resulted in substantial CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> emission and land subsidence caused by peat decomposition by microbial activity, shrinkage, and soil compaction. In addition, seasonal reversible vertical soil movement is caused by shrink and swell in the unsaturated zone and by poroelastic deformation in the saturated zone. To reduce CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> emissions and land subsidence in drained peat soils, subsurface water infiltration systems (WISs) are expected to be a suitable measure. In this study, effects of WIS on seasonal vertical soil movements are evaluated, based on field measurements from five locations in Dutch peat meadows, for the years 2021 to 2023. First estimates of long-term land subsidence have also been made. At each study location, vertical soil movement has been measured using spirit leveling and extensometers in both a parcel with a WIS and a nearby reference parcel without any measure. Phreatic groundwater level fluctuations are found to induce soil volume decreases and increases in both the saturated and the unsaturated zone, which cause vertical land movement dynamics of up to 10 cm in the dry summer of 2022 at a location with a relatively thick (6 m) peat layer. Poroelastic deformation processes in the deeper saturated soil contribute substantially to surface-level movement and are largely reversible for the relatively short time period considered in this study. In peat meadows, subsurface water infiltration systems, if correctly applied, reduce seasonal vertical soil movements while (potentially) reducing soils' resilience to drought-induced volume losses. Seasonal vertical soil surface dynamics are about an order of magnitude higher than longer-term (years to decades) land subsidence rates, which are commonly of the order of millimeters per year in the Dutch drained peat areas as is supported by estimates of land subsidence from this study. Therefore, multiyear data series are needed to filter out variations in seasonal dynamics, which are mainly introduced by annual variations in weather conditions, and more accurately estimate long-term land subsidence.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ab1a1a5493a44bf6bfb8a113c20ed887 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
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| series | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-ab1a1a5493a44bf6bfb8a113c20ed8872025-08-20T02:11:34ZengCopernicus PublicationsHydrology and Earth System Sciences1027-56061607-79382025-04-01291865189410.5194/hess-29-1865-2025Effects of subsurface water infiltration systems on land movement dynamics in Dutch peat meadowsS. van Asselen0G. Erkens1G. Erkens2C. Fritz3R. Hessel4J. J. H. van den Akker5Subsurface Systems and Technologies, Deltares Research Institute, Utrecht, 3584 BK, the NetherlandsSubsurface Systems and Technologies, Deltares Research Institute, Utrecht, 3584 BK, the NetherlandsDepartment of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3508 TD, the NetherlandsDepartment of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525 AJ, the NetherlandsWageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen, 6708 PB, the NetherlandsWageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen, 6708 PB, the Netherlands<p>Large-scale drainage and cultivation of peat soils over the last centuries, occurring worldwide, have resulted in substantial CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> emission and land subsidence caused by peat decomposition by microbial activity, shrinkage, and soil compaction. In addition, seasonal reversible vertical soil movement is caused by shrink and swell in the unsaturated zone and by poroelastic deformation in the saturated zone. To reduce CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> emissions and land subsidence in drained peat soils, subsurface water infiltration systems (WISs) are expected to be a suitable measure. In this study, effects of WIS on seasonal vertical soil movements are evaluated, based on field measurements from five locations in Dutch peat meadows, for the years 2021 to 2023. First estimates of long-term land subsidence have also been made. At each study location, vertical soil movement has been measured using spirit leveling and extensometers in both a parcel with a WIS and a nearby reference parcel without any measure. Phreatic groundwater level fluctuations are found to induce soil volume decreases and increases in both the saturated and the unsaturated zone, which cause vertical land movement dynamics of up to 10 cm in the dry summer of 2022 at a location with a relatively thick (6 m) peat layer. Poroelastic deformation processes in the deeper saturated soil contribute substantially to surface-level movement and are largely reversible for the relatively short time period considered in this study. In peat meadows, subsurface water infiltration systems, if correctly applied, reduce seasonal vertical soil movements while (potentially) reducing soils' resilience to drought-induced volume losses. Seasonal vertical soil surface dynamics are about an order of magnitude higher than longer-term (years to decades) land subsidence rates, which are commonly of the order of millimeters per year in the Dutch drained peat areas as is supported by estimates of land subsidence from this study. Therefore, multiyear data series are needed to filter out variations in seasonal dynamics, which are mainly introduced by annual variations in weather conditions, and more accurately estimate long-term land subsidence.</p>https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/29/1865/2025/hess-29-1865-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | S. van Asselen G. Erkens G. Erkens C. Fritz R. Hessel J. J. H. van den Akker Effects of subsurface water infiltration systems on land movement dynamics in Dutch peat meadows Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| title | Effects of subsurface water infiltration systems on land movement dynamics in Dutch peat meadows |
| title_full | Effects of subsurface water infiltration systems on land movement dynamics in Dutch peat meadows |
| title_fullStr | Effects of subsurface water infiltration systems on land movement dynamics in Dutch peat meadows |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of subsurface water infiltration systems on land movement dynamics in Dutch peat meadows |
| title_short | Effects of subsurface water infiltration systems on land movement dynamics in Dutch peat meadows |
| title_sort | effects of subsurface water infiltration systems on land movement dynamics in dutch peat meadows |
| url | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/29/1865/2025/hess-29-1865-2025.pdf |
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