Ombrotrophic peatlands: natural, holistic, integrated, long-term monitoring systems for atmospheric deposition of environmental contaminants to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (original) (raw)
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Peat Bog Ecosystems: Atmospheric pollution
2016
Peatlands can be damaged by deposition of pollutants from the atmosphere – often termed ‘ acid rain ’ . This results from the release of sulphur and nitrogen pollutants into the atmosphere . Originally associated with the Industrial Revolution, ‘acid rain’ was first described by Robert Angus Smith, a Manchester chemist of the 1800s , whose obser vations were made in close proximity to the peatlands of the South Pennines. Sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) pollution, which is mainly emitted from coal burning power stations, peaked in the 1970s and has since decreased by over 90% due to emission controls and ch anges in energy supply. N itrogen ous air pollutants have decreased less . N itrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions , which are mainly from vehicle s , have decreased by two thirds since their peak in 1990 , but the decrease in ammonia ( NH 3 ) emissions , which are mainly from intensive livestock farming, is much less certain and may be only about 20%.
Atmospheric Supply of Trace Elements Studied by Peat Samples from Ombrotrophic Bogs
Journal of Environment Quality, 2005
in 1979 at 21 different sites across Norway . Preliminary results from the chemical analyses were pre-Concentrations of Fe and 12 trace elements in peat from ombrosented by . In trophic bogs were used to estimate the atmospheric deposition of these elements on a temporal and spatial scale. Peat samples were this paper the distribution of 13 elements (As, Cd, Co, collected at 21 different sites in Norway encompassing large geograph-Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Zn) with depth is ical differences in marine influence and air pollution. The study dempresented. In addition to discussing temporal trends in onstrates that surface peat is an excellent medium to study geographiatmospheric deposition, the paper focuses on the feasical differences in heavy metal deposition, provided that effects of the bility of using surface peat for the study of spatial trends.
Nitrogen deposition and increased carbon accumulation in ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern Canada
Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2004
1] Recent and long-term accumulation rates of carbon (C), using 210 Pb-and 14 C-dating, were examined in 23 ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern Canada, where average 1990-1996 atmospheric wet nitrogen (N) deposition ranged from 0.3 to 0.8 g N m À2 yr À1 . The average recent rate of C accumulation (RERCA) over the past 150 years was 73 ± 17 (SD) g C m À2 yr À1 , ranging from 40 to 117 g C m À2 yr À1 . The difference in RERCA between hummocks (78 g C m À2 yr À1 ) and hollows (65 g C m À2 yr À1 ) was significant. Increased RERCA over the past 50 years was found in hummocks and hollows in regions of higher N deposition and related to both elevated N deposition and growing degree-days above +5°C. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between N deposition alone and present-day C accumulation in both hummocks and hollows (R 2 = 0.28 and 0.38, respectively). Recent N accumulation was significantly larger in high N deposition regions. The total average aboveground vegetation biomass of hollows and hummocks did not differ significantly with N deposition. However, a significantly larger vascular plant leaf biomass was found in both hollows and hummocks of the high N deposition class than in the low N deposition class (>0.6 and <0.4 g m À2 yr À1 , respectively). The average long-term apparent rate of C accumulation (LORCA) at 15 sites was 19 ± 8 (SD) g C m À2 yr À1 , with no significant difference due to age of peat inception, latitude, or continentality.
Peatlands and greenhouse gases 7-1 Chapter 7 : Peatlands and greenhouse gases
2007
1. By affecting atmospheric burdens of CO2, CH4 and N2O in different ways natural peatlands play a complex role with respect to climate. 2. Since the last ice age peatlands have played an important role in global GHG balances. By storing enormous amount of atmospheric CO2 they have had an increasing cooling effect, in the same way as in former geological eras, when they formed coal, lignite and other fossil fuels. 3. GHG fluxes in peatlands have a spatial (zonal, ecosystem, site and intersite) and temporal (interannual, seasonal, diurnal) variability which needs to be considered in assessment and management. 4. Small changes in ecohydrology can lead to big changes in GHG emissions through influence on peatland biogeochemistry. 5. In assessing the role of peatlands in global warming the different time frame and radiative forcing of continuos and simultaneous CH4 emission and CO2 sequestration should be carefully evaluated to avoid not fully applicable global warming potentials. 6. An...
A Brief Review in Effect Factors on Peatland Ecosystem
Open Access Library Journal, 2020
Peatland ecosystem plays an important role in the global climate change because they act as a pool or sink of the gasses. There are several factors which influence the environmental consequences of peatland especially in relation to climate change. The main influences are: 1) carbon dioxide, 2) methane flux, 3) nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and 4) others environmental factors. These atmospheric gases concentrates constitute roughly 73 percent of the overall positive energy flux variation. Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas considered most consequential in Anthropocene climate change. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 34 times greater than carbon dioxide in natural wetlands and the majority of these emissions are from peatlands. Nitrous oxide is one of the main pollutants in the ecosystem of peatlands and can cause eutrophication. This paper is a brief review on environmental factors influences to climate change in peatland ecosystems. It highlights the need for minimizing the negative effects of climate change on wetland ecosystem through proper management of peatlands.
Wetlands Ecology and Management, 1992
This paper summarizes expected changes in hydrology, chemistry and biota of Dutch peatlands (bogs, fens and moorland pools) caused by climatic changes resulting from the Greenhouse Effect. Special attention is paid to the interaction with atmospheric acid deposition. In both bogs and moorland pools prolonged drought periods may cause deleterious effects on biota because of the release of atmospherically-derived reduced sulphur compounds. In fenlands negative changes will be caused by eutrophication due to increased supply of allochtonous water. Long-term water and nutrient budgets are needed, along with better predictions of expected climate changes, to develop models of changes in hydrology, chemistry and biota of peatlands.
Long-term macronutrient stoichiometry of UK ombrotrophic peatlands
The Science of the total environment, 2016
In this paper we report new data on peat carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations and accumulation rates for 15 sites in the UK. Concentrations of C, N and P measured in peat from five ombrotrophic blanket mires, spanning 4000-10,000years to present were combined with existing nutrient data from ten Scottish ombrotrophic peat bogs to provide the first UK perspective on millennial scale macronutrient concentrations in ombrotrophic peats. Long-term average C, N and P concentrations (0-1.25m) for the UK are 54.8, 1.56 and 0.039wt%, of similar magnitude to the few published comparable sites worldwide. The uppermost peat (0-0.2m) is enriched in P and N (51.0, 1.86, and 0.070wt%) relative to the deeper peat (0.5-1.25m, 56.3, 1.39, and 0.027wt%). Long-term average (whole core) accumulation rates of C, N and P are 25.3±2.2gCm(-2)year(-)(1) (mean±SE), 0.70±0.09gNm(-2)year(-1) and 0.018±0.004gPm(-2)year(-1), again similar to values reported elsewhere in the world. The two mo...
Emissions of CO< sub> 2, CH< sub> 4 and N< sub> 2 O from Southern European peatlands
Soil Biology and …, 2010
Peatlands play an important role in emissions of the greenhouse gases CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O, which are produced during mineralization of the peat organic matter. To examine the influence of soil type (fen, bog soil) and environmental factors (temperature, groundwater level), emission of CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O and soil temperature and groundwater level were measured weekly or biweekly in loco over a one-year period at four sites located in Ljubljana Marsh, Slovenia using the static chamber technique. The study involved two fen and two bog soils differing in organic carbon and nitrogen content, pH, bulk density, water holding capacity and groundwater level. The lowest CO 2 fluxes occurred during the winter, fluxes of N 2 O were highest during summer and early spring (February, March) and fluxes of CH 4 were highest during autumn. The temporal variation in CO 2 fluxes could be explained by seasonal temperature variations, whereas CH 4 and N 2 O fluxes could be correlated to groundwater level and soil carbon content. The experimental sites were net sources of measured greenhouse gases except for the drained bog site, which was a net sink of CH 4 . The mean fluxes of CO 2 ranged between 139 mg m À2 h À1 in the undrained bog and 206 mg m À2 h À1 in the drained fen; mean fluxes of CH 4 were between À0.04 mg m À2 h À1 in the drained bog and 0.05 mg m À2 h À1 in the drained fen; and mean fluxes of N 2 O were between 0.43 mg m À2 h À1 in the drained fen and 1.03 mg m À2 h À1 in the drained bog. These results indicate that the examined peatlands emit similar amounts of CO 2 and CH 4 to peatlands in Central and Northern Europe and significantly higher amounts of N 2 O.