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Peatlands and wetlands

Wet peat keeps its carbon.

Peatlands hold more carbon than all the world’s forests, and they keep it only while they stay wet. Drained peat releases carbon and burns. Water table, soil and weather sensing across a peatland shows whether it is storing or losing carbon, and whether rewetting has worked.

Plan a deploymentHow it worksStation Builder
Industry
Nature
Measurements
4
Sources cited
4
  1. Nature · Peatlands and wetlands

    Carbon kept wet

    Peatlands hold more carbon than all the world’s forests, and keep it only while they stay wet. Drained for farming or forestry, they release carbon year after year and can burn for months. Rewetting stops the loss, if the water table rises and stays up.

  2. What is measured

    The water table, everywhere

    Water level loggers in dipwells along transects from ditches measure the water table across the site. Ground markers and reference points measure the peat surface sinking or rising, soil probes measure temperature and moisture, and a weather station measures rain and evaporation.

    Instruments
    Dipwell loggers · Surface markers · Soil probes · Weather station
  3. The base node

    Depth, area and emissions

    The node computes water table depth below the surface for each dipwell, maps the share of the site with water near the surface, estimates emissions with the inventory method and flags dry spells that raise the risk of peat fire, so managers see the whole site at once.

  4. Radio and links

    Across a roadless bog

    Dipwells spread across a wet, roadless site reach one gateway over a long-range, low-power link, so no cables or vehicles cross the peat. The node sends data over cellular, available at most lowland sites, and loggers keep their own record if a link fails.

    Links
    LoRaWAN · Public cellular
  5. How it works

    From a blocked ditch to a rising water table

    In autumn, crews block the main drainage ditches. Through winter, dipwells along the transects show the water table rising toward the surface. In the next dry summer it holds near the top, emissions estimates fall, and the funder sees the restoration working.

  6. From order to operation · Order

    Scope the site and the claim

    The scope reads the peatland or wetland, its drainage and restoration plan, protection status and any carbon programme it joins. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the dipwell and station plan, the emissions method, reporting and a price per site and per year.

    Plan a deployment
  7. From order to operation · Survey

    Survey ditches and transects

    Crews and ecologists map ditches, peat depth, vegetation and access, and lay out dipwell transects from ditches into the peat so the effect of blocking can be measured. Gateway and weather station sites are chosen for coverage. Every finding is kept with the site record for the crews who follow.

  8. From order to operation · Permits

    Protected site consent

    Many peatlands and wetlands are protected; work is approved by the conservation authority, timed around breeding birds, and kept to boardwalks where the surface is fragile. Every consent is kept with the site record. Approvals are tracked site by site, so nothing waits unseen.

  9. From order to operation · Build

    Build and pair

    Water level loggers are calibrated, soil probes prepared, radios paired, and the gateway, weather station and node configured and enrolled with their identities. The kit runs together before it ships. Test results travel with the kit to the site. Nothing ships until the whole kit has passed its tests together.

    Open the Station Builder
  10. From order to operation · Install

    Install dipwells

    Crews install dipwells along transects, fit loggers, bury soil probes, set ground markers, raise the gateway and weather station and connect solar power. Every dipwell is surveyed to the peat surface and photographed. The site record is updated before the crew leaves.

  11. From order to operation · Commission

    Commission against manual dips

    Each node proves its identity. Logger readings are checked against manual dips, surface heights against a level survey, and the first weeks of data against rainfall. The baseline before rewetting is recorded. Results are signed and kept with the site record.

  12. From order to operation · Operate

    Show the water table

    Managers see water table depth across the site, the share near the surface and emissions estimates. After ditches are blocked, the record shows whether water rose and stayed up through dry summers, and fire risk is flagged in drought. Reports for owners and funders come from the same record.

  13. From order to operation · Maintain

    Check, dip and report

    Crews check loggers against manual dips on scheduled visits, swap batteries, resurvey ground markers each year, and update software in rings. Annual reports show water table, subsidence and emissions against the baseline. Spares and procedures travel with the crews. Maintenance history stays with each site for its whole life.

    Book field services
  14. Data products

    For managers, funders and programmes

    Site managers and ecologists receive water table maps; carbon programmes and inventory agencies receive emissions estimates; funders and conservation authorities receive restoration evidence; land managers and fire services receive dry spell and fire risk alerts, each tied to site, dipwell and date.

    See the data products
  15. Evidence

    Inventory methods, protected sites

    Emissions follow the wetlands supplement to the inventory guidelines, driven by measured water table, protected sites are reported under the Ramsar Convention, soil variables follow the global observing plan and weather the instrument guide. Every reading keeps its calibration and dip check.

    Drawn against
    2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines · Ramsar Convention · GCOS-244 · WMO-No. 8
  16. What you get

    Biodiversity and habitat monitoring

    Acoustic sensors, camera traps that exclude people, eDNA sampling logistics and EO habitat change for nature programmes and disclosures. Delivered as managed service and data licence, for conservation programmes, corporates, lenders, agencies. Scale: Landscape scale. Service levels are written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard.

    Talk to sales
  17. Next step

    Plan peatlands and wetlands with us

    Tell us the site, the measurements and the rules it answers to. We reply with a survey proposal, a design and a scope for peatlands and wetlands. An engineer replies with a survey proposal and a scope, and the plan grows from one site to the network you need, at your pace.

    Plan a deploymentOpen the Station BuilderOpen the Studio

01The place and its hazards

Where it runs, and what can go wrong.

Operating contextWetlands of international importance are protected under the Ramsar Convention, and greenhouse gas emissions from drained and rewetted organic soils are estimated with the wetlands supplement to the inventory guidelines, where water table depth is a key driver. Restoration programmes need evidence that the water table has risen and stays up.

Hazards

  • Drainage ditches that keep peat dry and losing carbon
  • Peat fires that burn for months
  • Rewetting that fails in dry summers
  • Subsidence that lowers the land year after year
  • Carbon claims without ground evidence

02What must be measured

What, where, how often, and under which rules.

Each measurement names where it is taken, how often, and the public standard or regulation behind it. Numbers in the sources column open the cited source below.

MeasurementWhereCadenceSources
Water table depthDipwells across the peatland and transects from ditchesHourly12
Peat surface height and subsidenceGround markers and GNSS on reference pointsDaily to monthly1
Soil temperature and moistureProfiles in the peatHourly13
Rainfall and evaporation driversA weather station on the siteEvery few minutes4

03The observation stack

From one base unit to a network.

The same blocks at every scale: instruments and a base node, a site with its radio, a fleet run as one, and a network federated on the open protocol.

  1. 01

    Base unit

    A point: a water level logger in a dipwell or soil probes on a low-power radio.

    Build a station →
  2. 02

    Site

    A site: points across the peatland, a weather station, a gateway and node with solar power.

    Plan a site →
  3. 03

    Fleet

    Many peatlands and wetlands of a programme or agency on one view.

    Managed offers →
  4. 04

    Network

    Programmes, agencies and carbon standards share water table and emissions records through open standards.

    The open protocol →
  • 01Water level gauge
  • 02Soil probe
  • 03Compact weather station
  • 04LPWAN endpoint
  • 05LoRaWAN gateway
  • 06Micro node (Nano)
  • 07Cellular modem/router
  • 08Solar array
  • 09Pole

Radio and links

LoRaWAN

Dipwells spread across a wet, roadless site reach one gateway over a long-range, low-power link.

Radio and links

Public cellular

The node sends data over cellular, available at most lowland sites.

Edge computeThe node computes water table depth below the surface for every dipwell, maps the share of the site with water near the surface, estimates emissions with the inventory method and flags dry spells that risk fire.

PowerDipwell loggers run on batteries for years; the gateway and node run on solar with batteries.

04How it works

From the instrument to the product.

One observation’s path, tier by tier, with the interface on every link and a bill of materials below; then how the one node grows to a site, a fleet and federated networks.

Peatlands and wetlands: data path

– of 08

01 Instruments Measurement with sensor identity andcalibration 02 Field radio 03 Gateway 04 Node – Wrap in an observation envelope with timequality– Measure quality and uncertainty, attachquality flags– Buffer locally (store-and-forward when thelink drops) 05 Backhaul Commit with transactional outbox andpublish, delivered at least once 06 Site Consumer inbox deduplicates and applieseach record once into governed data 07 Data store Governed product through API, map orexport, correction-aware 08 Products OGC SensorThings APIGeoJSONLoRaWAN 09 Power and structure Supplies 12 V DC to the field equipment 01 Water level gauge SDI-12 · RS-485 · Ethernet 02 Soil probe SDI-12 · RS-485 · Ethernet 03 Compact weather station SDI-12 · RS-485 · Ethernet 04 LPWAN endpoint Analogue I/O · SDI-12 · RS-485 05 LoRaWAN gateway Ethernet · RF · GNSS antenna 06 Micro node (Nano) Ethernet · USB · Analogue I/O ·RS-485 · CAN 07 Cellular modem/router Ethernet · USB · RS-232 Site MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B Governed data store Versioned, correction-aware Water table maps Emissions estimates Restoration evidence Dry spell and fire risk alerts 08 Solar array RS-485 09 Pole SDI-12 SDI-12 SDI-12 LoRaWAN Ethernet Ethernet LTE/NR
From the instrument to the published product: each band is a tier, each connector names its interface, and the numbers match the bill of materials. Hover or focus a block to trace its path; scroll or step to follow one observation.
Bill of materials
ItemEquipmentData portsProtocolsPower in
01Water level gaugeRadar, pressure or float gauge for river, lake, reservoir or tide level.SDI-12RS-485EthernetSDI-12, Modbus, MQTT 5, OGC SensorThings API12 V DC
02Soil probeProbe for volumetric soil moisture, temperature and conductivity at one or more depths.SDI-12RS-485EthernetSDI-12, Modbus, MQTT 5, OGC SensorThings API12 V DC
03Compact weather stationAll-in-one or compact station for temperature, humidity, pressure, wind and rain at a site.SDI-12RS-485EthernetSDI-12, Modbus, MQTT 5, OGC SensorThings API12 V DC
04LPWAN endpointBattery-powered endpoint on LoRaWAN, NB-IoT or LTE-M that carries one or more sensors.Analogue I/OSDI-12RS-485LoRaWAN, OMA LwM2M, CoAPInternal battery, Energy harvesting
05LoRaWAN gatewayMulti-channel LoRaWAN gateway that forwards uplinks to a network server and schedules downlinks within duty limits.EthernetRFGNSS antennaLoRaWAN, MQTT 5PoE, 12 V DC
06Micro node (Nano)Single-board or module-class node for sensor sites, gateways and low-power deployments.EthernetUSBAnalogue I/ORS-485CANMQTT 5, OMA LwM2M, CoAPPoE, 12 V DC, USB PD
07Cellular modem/routerLTE or NR modem or router that uses a public carrier or private network as backhaul.EthernetUSBRS-2323GPP E-UTRA air interface, 3GPP NR air interface, OMA LwM2M12 V DC, PoE
08Solar arrayPV modules with charge controller sized to the site’s load and climate.RS-485Modbus—
09PoleUtility, street or dedicated pole with clamp positions.———

How it scales

01 Instruments Arbitrary qualified sensors and instruments whosemeasurements are ingested with calibration, units,geometry, time, custody and uncertainty. ×n 02 Node The minimum useful deployable unit: server, ruggedappliance, radio node, sensor gateway, satelliteterminal, AI, scientific, vehicle or virtual node. Node Node agent 03 Site The minimum independently operable localgovernance and failure domain: one or more nodesplus local network, identity, policy, evidence,storage, products and operator surfaces.

SITE

Node Node Node ×n 04 Cluster An optional scale or specialisation domain forscheduling, shared storage, accelerators or datalocality.

CLUSTER

×n 05 Fleet Coordinates plans, acknowledgements,convergence evidence, update campaigns andcorrection propagation across nodes and sites.

FLEET

Fleet controller ×n 06 Federation An exchange of products, capabilities, events orwork across approved, independently administeredtrust domains, using explicit trust, policy,data-locality, version and correction contracts.

TRUST DOMAIN

TRUST DOMAIN

TRUST DOMAIN

×n Verifier Applications Data in the field Telemetry Control Data upstream Control Data upstream Control Exchange Evidence Events Exchange
The smallest deployable unit is one node; the same unit is replicated to meet the demand. Nodes form a site, sites may form a cluster, sites and clusters are coordinated as a fleet, and fleets exchange across independently administered trust domains. Each plane is a separate channel with its own open binding.
Data in the field
MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B; connectors for LoRaWAN, OPC UA and instrument buses.
Telemetry
OpenTelemetry OTLP.
Control
TLS 1.3 with mutual authentication; protobuf messages over gRPC or HTTP/2.
Data upstream
At-least-once publication with repeat-safe keys over the control channel or NATS JetStream; QUIC MAY be used on lossy links.
Evidence
DSSE-signed in-toto statements; SLSA provenance; SCITT transparency receipts.
Events
Event envelopes mapped to CloudEvents 1.0; channels described in AsyncAPI 3.
Exchange
OpenAPI 3.1; the OGC API family; SensorThings; STAC; WIS 2.0.

05From order to operation

Every step, from the first call to a running site.

The same crew and the same record carry the work from scope to maintenance.

  1. 01 Order

    Scope the site and the claim

    The scope reads the peatland or wetland, its drainage and restoration plan, protection status and any carbon programme it joins. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the dipwell and station plan, the emissions method, reporting and a price per site and per year. 1

  2. 02 Survey

    Survey ditches and transects

    Crews and ecologists map ditches, peat depth, vegetation and access, and lay out dipwell transects from ditches into the peat so the effect of blocking can be measured. Gateway and weather station sites are chosen for coverage. Every finding is kept with the site record for the crews who follow.

  3. 03 Permits

    Protected site consent

    Many peatlands and wetlands are protected; work is approved by the conservation authority, timed around breeding birds, and kept to boardwalks where the surface is fragile. Every consent is kept with the site record. Approvals are tracked site by site, so nothing waits unseen. 2

  4. 04 Build

    Build and pair

    Water level loggers are calibrated, soil probes prepared, radios paired, and the gateway, weather station and node configured and enrolled with their identities. The kit runs together before it ships. Test results travel with the kit to the site. Nothing ships until the whole kit has passed its tests together.

  5. 05 Install

    Install dipwells

    Crews install dipwells along transects, fit loggers, bury soil probes, set ground markers, raise the gateway and weather station and connect solar power. Every dipwell is surveyed to the peat surface and photographed. The site record is updated before the crew leaves.

  6. 06 Commission

    Commission against manual dips

    Each node proves its identity. Logger readings are checked against manual dips, surface heights against a level survey, and the first weeks of data against rainfall. The baseline before rewetting is recorded. Results are signed and kept with the site record. 1

  7. 07 Operate

    Show the water table

    Managers see water table depth across the site, the share near the surface and emissions estimates. After ditches are blocked, the record shows whether water rose and stayed up through dry summers, and fire risk is flagged in drought. Reports for owners and funders come from the same record. 12

  8. 08 Maintain

    Check, dip and report

    Crews check loggers against manual dips on scheduled visits, swap batteries, resurvey ground markers each year, and update software in rings. Annual reports show water table, subsidence and emissions against the baseline. Spares and procedures travel with the crews. Maintenance history stays with each site for its whole life.

06Data products and integration

What it delivers, to whom, and into which systems.

Data products

  • Water table mapsSite managers and ecologists
  • Emissions estimatesCarbon programmes and inventory agencies
  • Restoration evidenceFunders and conservation authorities
  • Dry spell and fire risk alertsLand managers and fire services

Integration

  • Carbon programmesWater table and emissions records support verification.
  • Conservation authorityRecords support reporting on protected sites.
  • Fire servicesFire risk alerts reach services in dry spells.

Exchanged through OGC SensorThings API, GeoJSON, LoRaWAN.

07Questions buyers ask

Before you scope it.

Can it prove rewetting worked?

Yes. The baseline and the record after blocking show it.

How are emissions estimated?

With the inventory method driven by measured water table.

Will equipment damage the peat?

Work stays on boardwalks and dipwells are small.

How long do loggers last?

Years on their batteries, checked on visits.

08Resources

The sources behind this page.

Public standards, regulations and guidance, cited where they apply. Each applies only where its jurisdiction or scope does.

  1. 12013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: WetlandsIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change · 2014
  2. 2Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention)Ramsar Convention Secretariat · 1971
  3. 3GCOS-244: The 2022 GCOS Implementation PlanGlobal Climate Observing System · 2022
  4. 4WMO-No. 8: Guide to Instruments and Methods of ObservationWorld Meteorological Organization

09Related

Use cases and solutions.

Solution

Biodiversity and habitat monitoring

Acoustic sensors, camera traps that exclude people, eDNA sampling logistics and EO habitat change for nature programmes and disclosures.Solutions for nature →
Solution

Environmental and permit monitoring

Emissions, water quality, noise and dust monitoring for permit conditions, with traceable calibration and evidence bundles.Solutions for nature →
Solution

Sensing as a Service

Observation networks designed, installed, operated and maintained for a monthly fee: weather, hydromet, air, seismic and environmental stations, with data delivered under a licence.Solutions for nature →

10Nature: specialized fields

Other fields of this industry.

Specialized field

Forest condition and change

Plots and towers that measure forest growth, drought stress, pests and microclimate, joined with satellite change detection to show where forests are healthy, stressed or lost.The full field →
Specialized field

Biodiversity monitoring

Acoustic recorders and camera traps that detect species automatically, so landowners, agencies and investors can measure biodiversity and show change against national and global targets.The full field →
Specialized field

Land restoration

Soil, vegetation, weather and drone surveys at restoration sites, showing whether degraded land is recovering and giving funders evidence they can audit.The full field →

Bring us the site.

Plan a deployment, configure a station, model it in the Studio or talk to sales. The form names who receives your details.

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