## 1 Introduction  
Several modern studies have focused on climate change-related issues and anthropogenic impacts on the environment [1; 2; 3; 4]. Increasing average atmospheric temperatures are strongly related to the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as methane and carbon dioxide. Pristine peatland ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon balance by carbon sequestration and controlling GHG emissions [5; 6], thus regulating the atmospheric composition and climate. Peatlands occupy only \(\sim\)3% of the land surface globally but have accumulated an equivalent of half of the atmosphere's carbon as peat [7; 8]. Even small changes in their functioning may, therefore, cause a disbalance in the biosphere. One of the most waterlogged areas in the world is the West Siberian Lowland (WSL), where peatlands cover 592,440 km\({}^{2}\) and store \(\sim\)3.2% (70.21 Pg C) of all terrestrial carbon [9]. The gaseous exchange between the atmosphere and peatlands is governed by the photosynthetic uptake of CO\({}_{2}\) from the atmosphere and by soil and vegetation respiration losses of CO\({}_{2}\). The difference between them is known as the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO\({}_{2}\)[10; 11; 12; 13]. The other major gaseous emission of carbon (C) into the atmosphere is accounted for by methane (CH\({}_{4}\)), which is produced via the anoxic decay of organic matter [14]. According to IPCC estimates [15], the contribution of natural mites into total natural methane emissions ranges between 61 and 82%. The intensity of GHG fluxes from peat deposits is controlled by different factors, including hydrological and thermal regimes [16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21]. Climatic changes occur on a timescale of a decade and longer, thus requiring long-term monitoring to detect their effect on ecosystems. Continuous monitoring helps to detect ongoing changes in the peatland (biodiversity, net primary production, GHG emission, and carbon and nitrogen sequestration rates) and to define the role of external factors (climate, hydrology) affecting the peatland ecosystems [22]. Despite the global importance of peatlands, there are limited long-term monitoring data to quantify the functioning of the extensive peatlands of WSL, which are not covered by continuous comprehensive monitoring programs such as Fluxnet [23]. Assessments of the representativeness of the pan-Arctic eddy-covariance site network [24] showed that large parts of Siberia and patches of Canada are under-represented in carbon balance studies [25]. Only a few long-term sites with monitoring of GHG are available in Western Siberia, including the ZOTTO tall tower with a supporting eddy-covariance network along the Yenisei river [26] and the Japan-Russia Siberian Tall Tower Inland Observation Network located in the taiga, steppe, and wetland biomes of Siberia [27].There automated chamber observations of methane and carbon dioxide fluxes [28] and manual routine studies of peatland carbon balance [29] and mire water chemistry have been carried out [30]. The most intense field studies of the West Siberian peatlands are related to the investigation of methane fluxes from inland waters [31], shallow lakes [32], floodplains [33] and peatlands [34], and trace element distribution in snow deposits [35]. Because West Siberian peatlands constitute most of all peatlands on the Eurasian continent [8], the establishment of long-term records of GHG and water vapor exchange between peatlands and the atmosphere in this area under specific hydroclimatological and geological settings are essential. Intact peatlands act as significant sinks and stores of carbon and water, play a vital role as climate-regulators on a global and regional scale, and are safe-havens for unique biodiversity [22; 36]. The Mukhrino field station (Mukhrino FS, MFS) was established in 2009 with the aim of filling this shortcoming in peatland data records from the West Siberian middle taiga zone. The research is focused on climate change, carbon cycling, and biodiversity.