site.btaScientists Use Teabags to Measure Carbon Sequestration in Chairski Lakes Peatlands

At the end of May, a team of scientists and environmentalists conducted an unusual but scientifically validated experiment in one of the Chairski Lakes in the Rhodope Mountains, Golemia Gyol. On the peat island in the lake, they buried teabags to assess the peatland’s ability to sequester carbon, a key function in the fight against climate change, said the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation on Monday.  

The study involved Rumyana Ivanova and Gloria Marinova from the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation (BFB) and Assoc. Prof. Raina Nacheva from the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBES). They used the teabag index method, which is applied in various ecosystems around the world.

Pre-weighed and described green tea and rooibos teabags were buried at various locations in and around the lake. After a year, they will be dug up, dried and weighed again to determine the degree of decomposition of the organic matter in the peatland.

The less decomposed the tea, the better, the BFB explained., as this is a sign that the organic matter is breaking down slowly and the carbon remains locked in the soil, rather than being released into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO₂), a major greenhouse gas.

Peatlands play a key role in the global carbon cycle. They trap organic matter in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, and thus act as natural carbon sinks. The decomposition of this matter is greatly slowed down, and the carbon can remain locked in the soil for hundreds, even thousands of years. For this reason, the protection of peatlands is strategically important for climate resilience, the BFB explained, noting that while carbon dioxide has a bad reputation, it is an indispensable building block of the world. Wetlands, old forests, oceans and sedimentary rocks are natural stores of carbon.

Human activities such as draining peatlands, cutting down forests and burning fossil fuels are destroying these stores and leading to increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the BFB added and stressed it is necessary to both limit the use of fossil fuels and restore natural ecosystems that keep carbon out of the atmosphere, such as peatlands.

The project for the conservation of the Chairski Lakes and the peatland in Golemia Gyol is implemented by the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation with the support of Devin EAD. The team is now in its second year of conducting field surveys, ecosystem restoration activities, and educational initiatives. The results of the tea bag experiment will contribute to a deeper understanding of the state of the peatland and its contribution to climate stability, the BFB said.

More information about the project can be found on the BFB website.