Topsoil removal reduced in-situ methane emissions in a temperate rewetted bog grassland by a hundredfold.

Peatland restoration is seen as an effective contribution to help achieve the aims of the Paris Agreement because currently huge amounts of peatlands in Northern Central Europe are under unsustainable drainage-based land use. If net zero greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands shall be reached by 2050, restoration measures have to be done as soon as possible. However, rewetting drained peatlands that were under intensive grassland use frequently results in high methane (CH) emissions, which is often seen as a counter-argument against rewetting.