Impact of management and boreal climate on GHG exchange from Finnish grasslands on mineral and peat soils

Grasslands are a key component of boreal agriculture and can play a significant role in soil carbon sequestration and mitigation. Grasslands have the potential to store substantial amounts of carbon in their roots and soil, making them important for soil carbon sequestration. Finland, located in the boreal climate zone, is known for its milk production with one of the highest per cow milk yields in Europe. Milk production in Finland relies heavily on grassland management. The growing season is short and varies from 105 days in the north to 185 days in the south. Finnish grasslands are managed on two types of soils: mineral soils and organic soils. Mineral soils are typically well-drained and have a low organic matter content, whereas organic soils are characterized by high organic matter content and high-water retention capacity. Therefore, we have initiated a long-term GHG monitoring framework for a sustainable grassland management and agriculture at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) across several agricultural research sites in Finland. The results presented in this study will shed light on the variability of GHG-fluxes from grasslands on different soil types and on the key drivers of the temporal and site variability of GHG-fluxes in a comparative way.