Objective Active peat forming ecosystems are important sinks for atmospheric Carbon, nevertheless generally underestimated in global climatic change studies. About half of the world area of such ecosystems is situated in the vast lowland of West Siberia. This project aims at the quantification of West Siberian peat ecosystems by the production of biomass, to store Carbon. The Carbon pool, stored in the peat layers in west Siberia, therefore will be analysed, using available, but unpublished Russian data and additional field measurement. By comparison of the measured variation in biomass productivity and Carbon gas (CO2, CH4) emissions by latitude, hydrological conditions, nutrient availability and vegetation type, the actual Carbon storage capacity will be integrated into a Peat Accumulation Model, valid for West Siberia. For the interpolation of point data Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing techniques will be used. The model will be validated for Holocene climatic change by (re)interpretation of data from vertical sequence of vegetation type, nutrient conditions, Carbon content and 14C dating records.The ultimate objective of the project is the development of a Climate Carbon exchange Model, which will be able to predict Carbon accumulation in West Siberian peat layers as a result of vegetation development in time and space under different climate change scenarios. The project will integrate the scientific knowledge of environmental scientists, hydrologists, landscape ecologists, botanists, paleo-ecologists and paleo-geographers. In particular new is the combination of knowledge of actual processes related to greenhouse gasses and Carbon storage by peat accumulation vegetation, with scientific knowledge of paleo-climatology resulting from the analyses and interpretation of cores (peat drillings). Additional purposes of the project are the revealing of unpublished Russian data, the support of highly specialized Russian scientist with integrated research in practice, the opportunity for Russian scientists to experience modern western methodologies and the combined publication of research results for an international scientific forum. Programme(s) IC-INTAS - International Association for the promotion of cooperation with scientists from the independent states of the former Soviet Union (INTAS), 1993- Topic(s) 5 - Earth Sciences, Environment, Energy OPEN - OPEN Call Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator Utrecht University EU contribution No data Address Heidelberglaan 2 3508 TC Utrecht Netherlands See on map Total cost No data Participants (5) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Institute of Forestry Russia EU contribution No data Address Akademgorodok 660036 Krasnoyarsk See on map Total cost No data Institute of Geography Russia EU contribution No data Address Staromonetnaya 29 109017 Moscow See on map Total cost No data Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences Russia EU contribution No data Address Sovietskaya 18 630099 Novosibirsk See on map Total cost No data Tomsk State University Russia EU contribution No data Address Lenina Street 36 634050 Tomsk See on map Total cost No data Universität Greifswald Germany EU contribution No data Address Grimmer Strasse 88 17487 Greifswald See on map Total cost No data