Training an eye in the sky on Scottish peatland health 24 Hutton Highlights Peatland covers about 20% of Scotland, providing a unique habitat, filtering our water and storing carbon. But when damaged, peatlands can be a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. About 80% of Scotland’s peatland is thought to be damaged and contributing to an estimated 13% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Because of this, an increasing amount of work to restore peatlands is being done, to return peatland into healthy carbon stores, as well as the unique habitat it provides to a wide range of species. But because peatlands can come in a range of sizes from small pockets in the landscape to vast expanses of blanket bog, it’s not always easy to monitor their condition. This is a challenge researchers from the Hutton have been investigating. A promising route is the use of radar satellite data, collected by European Space Agency’s (ESA) satellites, to assess peatland condition. Radar instruments can penetrate into the soil, informing us about the moisture conditions in the first few centimetres. This is important – soil moisture is one of the key indicators of whether peatland is storing, or releasing, carbon dioxide and methane, but it’s data that’s not always easy to get. “Traditionally peatland soil moisture dynamics would be monitored by carrying out field measurements,” explains Dr Linda Toča, a Geospatial researcher at the Hutton. “This isn’t always easy as peatlands can be very remote, cover vast areas and there are various costs associated with the installation and maintenance of the instruments. Eroded peatland gullies Restored peatland with monitoring
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