3–8 May, members of FutureScapes took part in the EGU General Assembly 2026 conference in Vienna. As one of the world’s largest geoscience gatherings, this year’s event brought together more than 20,000 researchers.
Our scientists at the conference.
Kuno Kasak, Isaac Okiti, Kadir Yildiz, Joosep Truupõld, Jürgen Sarjas, Arathi Biju and Marili Sell focused in their presentations on topics that are highly relevant to land use in Estonia: how drainage, wetland restoration, and soil processes influence greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, and ecosystem functioning.
Key takeaways from our researchers’ presentations:
- Peatlands and wetlands act as major carbon stores, but drainage can turn them from carbon sinks into sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Maintenance of drainage ditches has a significant impact on both water quality and the amount of greenhouse gases released from ditch waters.
- Wetland restoration helps improve water quality and supports the recovery of natural hydrological regimes, although the outcomes depend strongly on local conditions.
- The effects of climate warming and drier air on trees can be better understood when both aboveground and belowground processes are studied together, especially the role of fine roots.
- Fine root growth dynamics influence both soil respiration and whole-ecosystem respiration, even when the ecosystem carbon balance remains stable.
Knowledge like this helps support smarter decisions for shaping land use in a more sustainable and nature-friendly way.