An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Long-Term History of Raised Bogs: a Case Study at Vriezenveen (the Netherlands)

Beek, R. van

doi:10.1080/14732971.2015.1112591

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Knowledge on the timing, process rates and spatial dynamics of peat initiation and expansion is essential to develop our understanding of peatland functioning and development, carbon dynamics, climate change, and long-term humanlandscape interactions in peatland environments (e.g. Van der Velde et al, 2021;Tolonen and Turunen, 1996;Van Beek et al, 2015;Van Beek, 2015;Chapman et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Faded landscape: unravelling peat initiation and lateral expansion at one of northwest Europe's largest bog remnants

et al. 2023

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Abstract. On the mainland of northwest Europe generally only remnants of former peat landscapes subsist. Due to the poor preservation of these landscapes, alternative approaches to reconstruct peat initiation and lateral expansion are needed compared to regions with intact peat cover. Here we aim (1) to find explanatory variables within a digital soil mapping approach that allow us to reconstruct the pattern of peat initiation and lateral expansion within (and potentially beyond) peat remnants, and (2) to reconstruct peat initiation ages and lateral expansion for one of the largest bog remnants of the northwest European mainland, Fochteloërveen. Basal radiocarbon dates were obtained from the peat remnant, which formed the basis for subsequent analyses. We investigated the relationship between peat initiation age and three potential covariates: (1) total thickness of organic deposits, (2) elevation of the Pleistocene mineral surface that underlies the organic deposits, and (3) a constructed variable representing groundwater-fed wetness based on elevation of the mineral surface and current hydraulic head. Significant relationships were found with covariates (1) and (3), which were then used for subsequent modelling. Our results indicate simultaneous peat initiation at several loci in Fochteloërveen during the Early Holocene and continuous lateral expansion until 900 cal BP. Lateral expansion accelerated between 5500–3500 cal BP. Our approach is spatially explicit (i.e. results in a map of peat initiation ages), and it allows for a quantitative evaluation of the prediction using the standard deviation and comparison of predictions with validation points. The applied method based on covariate (1) is only useful where remnant peat survived, whereas covariate (3) may ultimately be applied to reconstruct peat initiation ages and lateral peatland expansion beyond the limits of peat remnants.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Faded landscape: unravelling peat initiation and lateral expansion at one of northwest Europe's largest bog remnants

et al. 2023

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“…Erkens et al, 2016; Yu et al, 2011). Furthermore, insight in peatland palaeogeography is key to understand (pre‐)historic human habitation (Van Beek, 2015; Van Beek et al, 2015) and to contextualise exceptional archaeological finds from wetlands (e.g. Chapman et al, 2019; Van Beek et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using legacy data to reconstruct the past? Rescue, rigour and reuse in peatland geochronology

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Velde

Harkema

et al. 2021

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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There is a growing interest in the rescue and reuse of data from past studies (so-called legacy data). Data loss is alarming, especially where natural archives are under threat, such as peat deposits. Here we develop a workflow for reuse of legacy radiocarbon dates in peatland studies, including a rigorous quality assessment that can be tailored to specific research questions and study regions. A penalty is assigned to each date based on criteria that consider taphonomic quality (i.e., sample provenance) and dating quality (i.e., sample material and method used). The weights of quality criteria may be adjusted based on the research focus, and resulting confidence levels may be used in further analyses to ensure robustness of conclusions.We apply the proposed approach to a case study of a (former) peat landscape in the Netherlands, aiming to reconstruct the timing of peat initiation spatially. Our search yielded 313 radiocarbon dates from the 1950s to 2019. Based on the quality assessment, the dates-of highly diverse quality-were assigned to four confidence levels.Results indicate that peat initiation for the study area first peaked in the Late Glacial ($14,000 cal years BP), dropped during the Boreal ($9,500 cal years BP) and showed a second peak in the Subboreal ($4,500 cal years BP). We tentatively conclude that the earliest peak was mostly driven by climate (Bølling-Allerød interstadial), whereas the second was probably the result of Holocene sea level rise and related groundwater level rise in combination with climatic conditions (hypsithermal). Our study highlights the potential of legacy data for palaeogeographic reconstructions, as it is cost-efficient and provides access to information no longer available in the field.However, data retrieval may be challenging, and reuse of data requires that basic information on location, elevation, stratigraphy, sample and laboratory analysis are documented irrespective of the original research aims.

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“…Yu et al, 2011;Erkens et al, 2016). Furthermore, insight in peatland palaeogeography is key to understand (pre)historic human habitation (Van Beek, 2015;Van Beek et al, 2015) and to contextualise exceptional archaeological finds from wetlands (e.g. Chapman et al, 2019;Van Beek et al, 2019).…”

Section: Case Study Selection and Aimsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A key interdisciplinary integration is of peatland palaeogeography and palaeoecol-ogy with archaeological data on human land use and habitation. The interplay between peatland initiation and lateral expansion, human habitation and vegetation dynamics is not well understood (Van Beek et al, 2015;Van Beek, 2015). A study that aims to contribute to this knowledge deficit is currently in preparation (Van Beek et al [in prep]) and uses the Fochteloërveen area (including both the peat remnant and adjacent mineral soils) as a case study (incorporating findings from Chapters 3 and 4).…”

Section: Interdisciplinary Integrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Knowledge on the timing, process rates and spatial dynamics of peat initiation and expansion is essential to develop our understanding of peatland functioning and development, carbon dynamics, climate change, and long-term human-landscape interactions in peatland environments (e.g. Van der Velde et al, 2021;Tolonen and Turunen, 1996;Van Beek et al, 2015;Van Beek, 2015;Chapman et al, 2013). Peat initiation may result from terrestrialisation (also called infilling), paludification, or primary mire formation (Charman, 2002c;Rydin and Jeglum, 2013d).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Peatland initiation through time and space

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Wetlands are a distinctive landscape type, and can be characterized as areas where the mineral substrate is water-saturated or inundated. Consequently the substrate is poorly aerated, and the period that the water table is near or above the surface is of such duration that the prevalent vegetation and other organisms are adapted to life in water-saturated soil conditions (Charman, 2002c: 4; Joosten and Clarke, 2002: 24; Rydin and Jeglum, 2013c: 2-3). A minimum depth of 30 cm of peat is required to classify a wetland area as a peatland (Charman, 2002c: 4; Joosten and Clarke, 2002: 24; Rydin and Jeglum, 2013c: 4). Peat is organic material that accumulated as a result of a positive production-decay balance. It consists of the (partially) undecomposed remains of plant and animal tissues, which accumulated under more or less water-saturated conditions (Rydin and Jeglum, 2013c: 4). Peatlands comprise 50 -70% of all global wetlands, making them the most prevalent wetland type (Joosten and Clarke, 2002: 6). As peatland terminology is not fully refined and standardized (Joosten and Clarke, 2002: 9), and several terms are used interchangeably (Rydin and Jeglum, 2013c: 13), I have included a glossary with definitions as used in this thesis (Textbox 1.1).Peatlands exist in a diversity of conditions. As a result, they are present on all continents, covering a wide latitudinal range and occurring at altitudes varying from sea level to alpine zones (Joosten and Clarke, 2002: 6; United Nations Environment Programme, 2021). Since the 1800s (and regionally earlier), the extent of peatlands has decreased, with an estimated reduction in their global surface area of 10 to 20% (Joosten and Clarke, 2002: 7). For Europe, the loss in peatland area is much greater. Joosten and Clarke (2002: 32) estimated that over 50% of the European peatland area was lost in the period between 1952 and 1992. For the Netherlands, only 1% of the former peatland area is left today (Joosten and Couwenberg, 2001: 407).Peatlands form natural archives of past environmental changes. Through the preservation of in-situ plant remains, pollen, spores, and animals, and capture of air-and waterborne pollen, spores and other particles, peat deposits contain a record of changes over time that provides information not only about peatland development itself but also about the paleoenvironmental conditions in which these developments took place (Rydin and Jeglum, 2013b: 107). As such, the remains embedded in peat deposits are called the peat archives (Godwin, 1981). In addition, peat deposits contain cultural heritage with a degree of preservation that is unparalleled in dryland environments, including bog bodies, wooden trackways, and a range of other finds (e.g. Glob, 1969;Casparie, 1987;Coles and Lawson, 1987;Van der Sanden, 1996).The information contained in the peat archives is of unprecedented relevance. Key areas of research include (1) understanding of peatland functioning and development (Tuittila et al., 2013; Hilbert et al., 2017), (2) interpretations of al...

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An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Long-Term History of Raised Bogs: a Case Study at Vriezenveen (the Netherlands)

Cited by 4 publications

References 37 publications

Faded landscape: unravelling peat initiation and lateral expansion at one of northwest Europe's largest bog remnants

Faded landscape: unravelling peat initiation and lateral expansion at one of northwest Europe's largest bog remnants

Using legacy data to reconstruct the past? Rescue, rigour and reuse in peatland geochronology

Peatland initiation through time and space

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