New measuring station researches impact of nature restoration on greenhouse gases in Hedwige-Prosperpolder
On 27 February 2025, an advanced carbon measuring station was installed in the newly created nature reserve in the Hedwige-Prosperpolder. This measuring station will permanently measure the exchange of the greenhouse gases CO₂ and CH₄ (methane) between the nature reserve and the atmosphere. It’s the first installation of this type in a newly created mudflats and salt marshes area. The measuring tower offers a unique opportunity to investigate how nature restoration of tidal areas can contribute to carbon storage.
The new measuring station is part of WETCOAST, a recently launched project in which the University of Antwerp, KU Leuven and Vrije Universiteit Brussel are researching the role of tidal areas in climate regulation. Along the Scheldt, large mudflats and salt marshes were lost in the past due to reclamation. These are currently being partly restored in the context of the Flemish Sigma Plan and the Dutch Westerschelde nature package. The largest nature restoration project can be found in the 465-hectare Hedwige-Prosperpolder. Here, high tide and low tide have been allowed back into the former polders, allowing the mudflats and salt marshes to slowly recover.
Foto van het nieuwe meetstation
Project coordinator Stijn Temmerman (University of Antwerp, Global Change Ecology Centre): ‘This new area offers a unique opportunity for knowledge development, because there are still some big questions remaining: How fast do the natural processes essential to greenhouse gas uptake and carbon sequestration recover? And how can we measure this accurately and on a large scale?’
World’s most efficient ecosystems
The new measuring station is to provide answers to these questions. The 6-metre-high structure houses sensors that permanently measure the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Environmental factors such as wind, temperature, precipitation, light intensity and tide are also accurately measured. The entire installation is powered by solar energy. The large amount of data is automatically transmitted to the UAntwerp campus for analysis. The design and installation of the measuring station’s support structure was supervised by Jan De Nul, the dredging company that also collaborated on the natural development of the surveyed area.
Stijn Temmerman: ‘With WETCOAST, we want to find out how much carbon can be taken up and sequestered in restored tidal areas. Salt marshes in our climate and mangrove forests in the tropics are amongst the most efficient ecosystems in the world for sequestering carbon and reducing global warming. But this function has been lost for many tidal areas, as they were drained for human-oriented purposes, such as agriculture. But now, salt marshes and mangroves are being restored. Besides flood prevention and improving water quality and biodiversity, carbon storage is often cited as a motivation for this restoration. But how fast is that carbon being stored? That’s an important question.’
Accurate mapping
The research involves both manual measurements in the field, which take place under challenging conditions, and continuous measurements by sophisticated instruments. A drone will also be used to monitor the development of the area.
Stijn Temmerman: ‘By bringing all these data together, we are developing efficient methods to accurately map carbon storage in tidal areas. Within WETCOAST, we want to integrate this data into a new computer model, which will allow us to calculate future and current carbon storage in these tidal areas and, by extension, their contribution to climate regulation, much more accurately.’
For the flux tower, WETCOAST builds on the expertise of the University of Antwerp with similar measurement set-ups. As part of ICOS, a European research infrastructure for monitoring greenhouse gases, the University of Antwerp already operates 4 similar measuring stations in heath, forest and cropland.
Comparing with mangroves
WETCOAST studies not only salt marshes but also mangroves, the tropical counterparts of our salt marshes. To this end, parallel research is carried out in the AquaForest project. Jan De Nul constructed a new mangrove island in the Guayas Delta in Ecuador. The project serves as a blueprint for mangrove restoration worldwide. For researchers, AquaForest offers a unique opportunity to compare carbon sequestration in both temperate and tropical tidal zones.
Vicky Stratigaki, project engineer at Jan De Nul: ‘We’re convinced that restoring valuable natural areas is a relevant response to climate change. Mangrove forests, mudflats and salt marshes provide various ecosystem services. That is why we’re happy to co-invest in research that takes detailed stock of the impact of nature restoration projects. Doing this in cooperation with WETCOAST worldwide can only increase the impact.’
WETCOAST is funded by De Blauwe Cluster, the Flemish blue economy innovation cluster. The research is supported by an advisory group of companies including Jan De Nul, Econopolis, Mantis Consulting, iFlux, Basaltex, Dronematrix, Haedes and ORG.
Foto tijdens installatie