Flora Hochsinger Grant

Previous award winners

2025

• Funded project: “PEAT-FLUX: Linking pore architecture, hydrology, and greenhouse gas emissions in peatlands”
  led by Ass. Prof. Dr. Chi Zhang (Meteorology and Geophysics), Prof. Dr. Stephan Glatzel and Dr. Raphael Müller (both Geography and Regional Research). As part of the project, a university assistant (predoc) will be employed.
  

Peatlands, vital yet understudied ecosystems, store 21% of global soil carbon but are increasingly degraded due to human activities. This degradation results in the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including CH₄ and N₂O, and alters their physical properties, reducing water retention capacity. However, current models struggle to accurately predict emissions due to the complex interplay between peat degradation, pore-scale structural modifications, and hydrological dynamics. This project aims to bridge this gap by investigating how soil degradation-induced changes in peat pore architecture regulate water storage, transport, and GHG fluxes using combined geophysical and geochemical tools, offering critical insights for climate mitigation strategies. The research objectives are to: 1. Quantify degradation-induced alterations in peat pore networks (e.g., pore size distribution and connectivity), and their effects on water retention. 2. Determine how these structural changes drive spatial variability in GHGs production and transport. 3. Develop predictive models using geophysics (NMR) for peatland hydrology and biogeochemical processes by integrating laboratory and field datasets. The study employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining NMR-based pore structure analysis, geochemical measurements (including isotopic signatures of N₂O, CO₂, and CH₄), and field-based hydrological and GHG flux monitoring at three degraded Austrian peatlands. By integrating geophysics with biogeochemistry and bridging lab-to-field scales, this project pioneers a mechanistic framework linking peat structure to GHG emissions. The findings will advance predictive models for peatland hydrology, directly supporting Austria’s 2030 climate targets and EU soil health initiatives. This research leverages the LTWER Core Facility and cutting-edge NMR equipment to address pressing environmental challenges.