PhD defence: From drivers to solutions: Unravelling wetland methane dynamics for climate-smart restoration
During her PhD studies, Haonan Guo investigated the mechanisms regulating methane (CH4) emissions from pristine and rewetted wetlands.
Info about event
Time
Location
Auditorium, Institut for Agroøkologi, Aarhus Universitet, Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and wetlands are both its largest natural source and a major carbon sink, making them key players in the global climate system. Understanding what controls CH4 emissions in wetlands is therefore crucial for improving predictive models and guiding climate-focused restoration efforts. By combining global data analysis, laboratory incubations, and microbial characterization, Haonan Guo uncovered how key environmental and management factors interact to regulate CH4 dynamics. Her research explains why CH4 fluxes differ so widely among sites, how past land use influences CH4 responses to rewetting, and how brackish water rewetting can effectively curb CH4 release in coastal systems. These findings advance mechanistic understanding and modelling of wetland CH4 emissions, providing new insights for designing climate-smart wetland restoration strategies.
The PhD study was completed at Department of Agroecology, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.
This summary was prepared by the PhD student.
Time: Friday, 16 January 2026 at 10:00
Place: Room Auditorium, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele
Title of PhD thesis: Mechanisms regulating methane emissions in pristine and rewetted wetlands: The roles of environmental interactions, land-use legacies, and brackish water rewetting
Contact information: Haonan Guo, e-mail: guohaonan@agro.au.dk, tel.: +45 50 28 60 78
Members of the assessment committee:
Associate Professor Guy Schurgers, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Professor Piotr Banaszuk, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Bialystok University of Technology, Poland
Professor Diego Abalos (chair), Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor: Associate Professor Shubiao Wu, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor:
Dr. Claudia Kalla Nielsen, Arla Foods, Denmark
Dr. Lorenzo Pugliese, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English
The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.