Development of a peatland complex in boreal western Canada: lateral site expansion and local variability in vegetation succession and long-term peat accumulation

Bauer, Ilka E.; Gignac, L. Dennis; Vitt, Dale H.

doi:10.1139/b03-076

Cited by 104 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…There are limited data available at individual sites, as the data collections and analysis are often expensive and labor intensive (see Korhola, 1994;Bauer et al, 2003;van Bellen et al, 2011;Loisel et al, 2012). As a result, peatland expansion processes are not well understood.…”

Section: Focusing On Peatland Lateral Expansion Data and Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Northern peatland carbon stocks and dynamics: a review

2012

Biogeosciences

602

418

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Abstract. Peatlands contain a large belowground carbon (C) stock in the biosphere, and their dynamics have important implications for the global carbon cycle. However, there are still large uncertainties in C stock estimates and poor understanding of C dynamics across timescales. Here I review different approaches and associated uncertainties of C stock estimates in the literature, and on the basis of the literature review my best estimate of C stocks and uncertainty is 500±100 (approximate range) gigatons of C (Gt C) in northern peatlands. The greatest source of uncertainty for all the approaches is the lack or insufficient representation of data, including depth, bulk density and carbon accumulation data, especially from the world's large peatlands. Several ways to improve estimates of peat carbon stocks are also discussed in this paper, including the estimates of C stocks by regions and further utilizations of widely available basal peat ages.Changes in peatland carbon stocks over time, estimated using Sphagnum (peat moss) spore data and down-core peat accumulation records, show different patterns during the Holocene, and I argue that spore-based approach underestimates the abundance of peatlands in their early histories. Considering long-term peat decomposition using peat accumulation data allows estimates of net carbon sequestration rates by peatlands, or net (ecosystem) carbon balance (NECB), which indicates more than half of peat carbon (> 270 Gt C) was sequestrated before 7000 yr ago during the Holocene. Contemporary carbon flux studies at 5 peatland sites show much larger NECB during the last decade (32 ± 7.8 (S.E.) g C m −2 yr −1 ) than during the last 7000 yr (∼ 11 g C m −2 yr −1 ), as modeled from peat records across northern peatlands. This discrepancy highlights the urgent need for carbon accumulation data and process understanding, especially at decadal and centennial timescales, that would bridge current knowledge gaps and facilitate comparisons of NECB across all timescales.

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Section: Focusing On Peatland Lateral Expansion Data and Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Northern peatland carbon stocks and dynamics: a review

2012

Biogeosciences

602

418

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Additionally peatlands are complex ecosystems that have developed through successional processes over thousands of years (Bauer et al, 2003). Functionally and contrasted to marshes, fens are wetlands that actively accumulate organic matter that with time is maintained as a deposit of peat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of the wetland grass, Beckmannia syzigachne , to salinity and soil wetness: Consequences for wetland reclamation in the oil sands area of Alberta, Canada

Glaeser

Vitt

Ebbs

2016

Ecological Engineering

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“…Ecotones are often sensitive to change, and forested peatland margins have been identified as potentially susceptible to the influence of changing climate (Bauer et al 2003;Hartshorn et al 2003). The C dynamics of marginal forested peatlands differ from those of upland forests because of their distinct site properties and vegetation structure.…”

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confidence: 99%

Carbon stock trends along forested peatland margins in central Saskatchewan

Bhatti¹,

Errington²,

Bauer³

et al. 2006

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

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. 2006. Carbon stock trends along forested peatland margins in central Saskatchewan. Can. J. Soil Sci. 86: 321-333. Forested peatlands store significant amounts of soil carbon (C) compared with upland forests and are strongly influenced by climatic parameters. Carbon stocks at peatland margins, although likely to be most sensitive to changes in climate, have not been well quantified, making it difficult to predict their response to climate change. The purpose of this study was to characterize the physical environment and associated changes in C stocks across the forested margins of two boreal fens. Peat depth increased and water table depth decreased toward the peatland centre, and these parameters acted as the controlling environmental variables. Above-ground biomass C was primarily derived from tree biomass and decreased from upland to peatland, despite an opposite trend in understorey (herbaceous and shrubby) biomass stocks. Leaf area index was related to peat depth through a negative power function and increased linearly with above-ground tree biomass. Total ecosystem C increased from upland to peatland, with minimum and maximum values of 270 and 2100 Mg C ha -1 , respectively, and was largely dominated by soil C stocks, even at the upland end of the gradient. Although numerous small trees toward the peatland interior might allow a rapid increase in tree biomass C with lowering water tables, it seems likely that this would be a limited response, overshadowed in the long term by declines in the more substantial soil C stocks.Key words: Peatlands, carbon stocks, biomass, soil, leaf area index, peat depth Bhatti, J. S., Errington, R. C., Bauer, I. E. et Hurdle, P. A. 2006. Tendances des stocks de carbone à la bordure des tourbières boisées dans le centre de la Saskatchewan. Can. J. Soil Sci. 86: 321-333. Les tourbières boisées emmagasinent sensiblement plus de carbone que les forêts situées en altitude. Elles subissent aussi fortement l'influence des paramètres climatiques. Bien qu'elles soient particulièrement sensibles aux changements climatiques, les réserves de carbone à la lisière des tourbières n'ont pas été très bien quantifiées, de sorte qu'il est difficile de prévoir comment elles réagiront au réchauffement de la planète. L'étude devait caractériser les conditions physiques et les variations des réserves de carbone sur le pourtour boisé de deux tourbières basses boréales. L'épaisseur de la couche de tourbe augmente et la profondeur de la nappe phréatique diminue à mesure qu'on s'approche du centre de la tourbière. Ces paramètres sont ceux qui régissent le milieu. Le carbone de la biomasse aérienne vient surtout des arbres et sa quantité diminue quand on passe des hauteurs aux terres basses, même si l'on assiste à la tendance inverse avec la biomasse du sous-étage (herbacées et broussailles). Les auteurs ont associé l'indice foliaire à l'épaisseur de la couche de tourbe grâce à une fonction à puissance négative et ont constaté qu'il augmente linéairement avec la biomasse aérienne issue des arbres. La qu...

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Development of a peatland complex in boreal western Canada: lateral site expansion and local variability in vegetation succession and long-term peat accumulation

Cited by 104 publications

References 42 publications

Northern peatland carbon stocks and dynamics: a review

Northern peatland carbon stocks and dynamics: a review

Responses of the wetland grass, Beckmannia syzigachne , to salinity and soil wetness: Consequences for wetland reclamation in the oil sands area of Alberta, Canada

Carbon stock trends along forested peatland margins in central Saskatchewan

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