Mari Könönen

Peatland scientist studying how plant litter and organic matter decompose and how these processes control carbon storage in peatlands. Her research spans boreal, tropical, and Arctic peatlands, examining how climate warming, drainage, vegetation change, and land use affect soil carbon dynamics and greenhouse gas release. She has worked on tropical peat degradation and land-use impacts, showing that deforestation and drainage alter peat chemistry and decomposition processes, and on Arctic peat soils, where warming accelerates decomposition and threatens long-term carbon storage. Her current work focuses on how increasing shrub cover in northern peatlands may influence peat carbon balance and whether peatlands remain carbon sinks or become carbon sources under climate change.