The capacity of some wetlands to act as a carbon sink
is an important function that may provide additional
impetus for undertaking the large scale restoration of
wetlands. Research in Canada by Waddington and
Price (2000) and Waddington and Warner (2001)
reported a reduction in the magnitude of CO2 losses
when the peatland was restored and vegetation
became re-established. Komulainen et al. (1999)
and Tuittila et al. (1999) observed that the carbon
balance of Finnish peatlands became a new sink
within a few years of restoration. While studies of the
CO2 dynamics in restored cutaway peatlands have
concentrated either on boreal or continental peatlands,
there is a dearth of information regarding
dynamics of restored cutaway peatlands within many
regions such as the temperate maritime zone. For
example, in Ireland peatland formation is influenced
by the proximity of the North Atlantic Ocean cool
summers (Keane and Sheridan 2004).