Assess graduate-level understanding of how biogeochemical factors—hydrology, nutrient availability, redox conditions, temperature, peat chemistry, and microbial community dynamics—control carbon sequestration and decomposition in temperate peatlands; scope includes key drivers and interactions, implications for carbon balance under land-use change and climate warming, and interpretation of common measurements (CO2/CH4 fluxes, respiration rates, porewater chemistry, redox potential, and peat accumulation rates).