Holocene environmental change in two polygonal peatlands, south-central Nunavut, Canada

Holocene histories of two polygonal peatlands in the low arctic of south-central Nunavut, Canada, are reconstructed using plant macrofossil and pollen stratigraphies of four cores. Peat accumulation began in both basins between 7600 and 8000 cal. yr BP, within less than 1000 years after deglaciation. Mid- to late-Holocene vegetation changes recorded in the peat cores may be related to permafrost aggradation, associated with a regional cooling trend inferred from a nearby lake sediment record. However, differences in the timing of changes among the peatland coring sites indicate that local autogenic processes have also played an important role. Peat accumulation rates have decreased considerably in the past 3000 to 5000 years compared to the early Holocene. Our results illustrate the complexity of peatland development and peat accumulation dynamics in areas of permafrost, resulting from the important influences of both internal autogenic factors and external environmental forces such as climatic change.     

Peatland ferruginization during late Quaternary in the Uberaba Plateau (South-Eastern Brazil)

Due to the poor preservation of old peat formations and the limited research developed on them, the contribution of peat oxidation to the global C cycle at geological scales is poorly understood. Iron duricrusts containing abundant well-preserved plant structures have been reported above Humic Gleysols in the Uberaba Plateau (Brazil). We show that the iron accumulation results from an in-situ impregnation of peat, fast enough to preserve the plant structures. The formation of iron oxides results from two processes: precipitation in the pores and C/Fe replacement. The iron duricrusts were probably triggered by oxidation of the peatland following dry climatic events during the last 50 kyr. The large amount of iron dissolved in peatland waters was immobilized contemporaneously with the destruction of organic matter. The oxidation of organic matter from the lower peat, dated at ca 24–27 kyr BP, may have released between 0.08 and 2.26 kg CO₂ m⁻² yr⁻¹ in the atmosphere. These rates are in a good agreement with present-day measurements of CO₂ release from drained peatlands. Although peatland formation has been identified as a significant contributor to the global CO₂ uptake, our findings suggest that natural peatland oxidation should also be considered as a source of atmospheric CO₂ during past climate change.     

Soil paludification and Sphagnum bog initiation: the influence of indurated podzolic soil and fire

The initiation and growth of boreal peatlands developed on well‐drained, sandy landforms are closely associated with podzolic soil paludification processes. The origin of Sphagnum bogs extending on large deltaic plains was examined to test the hypothesis of the dual impact of indurated (ortstein) podzols and fire on forest soil paludification and concurrent peatland initiation and expansion. Mineral soil, basal organic matter and peat monoliths were sampled for soil and macrofossil analyses along an 800‐m toposequence starting from a mixed‐wood boreal forest to a Sphagnum bog (Lebel bog, eastern Quebec, Canada), and ending at a peat dome in the thickest section of the peatland. Mineral soils along the toposequence are ortstein humo‐ferric podzols distributed in the forest environment and beneath Sphagnum peat in the bog, except at the peat dome. Initial peatland growth occurred c. 6000 cal. a BP. Soil paludification coincided with the cessation of fire occurrence as recorded in the organic and mineral layers preceding Sphagnum expansion. Unlike most temperate and boreal raised bogs, the Sphagnum bog developed directly from a forest environment without passing through a transitional fen stage. Conifer forests regenerated successively after several fires between 4200 and 1600 cal. a BP before bog expansion. Pre‐bog forests were composed of fire‐prone black spruce (Picea mariana) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana) trees, and ericaceous species. Given the distribution and thickness of ortstein horizons progressively decreasing and disappearing towards the peatland dome, growth and expansion of the Sphagnum bog was not caused by soil induration processes, which could have potentially impeded vertical and horizontal drainage. The development of indurated podzols outside and several hundred metres inside the peatland preceded the initiation and expansion of the Sphagnum bog. Cessation of fire activity appears to be a key factor facilitating the lateral expansion of the Sphagnum bog under wet soil conditions.     

Sedimentary facies and geomorphic evolution of a blocked‐valley lake: Lake Futululu,northern Kwazulu‐Natal,South Africa

Blocked‐valley lakes are formed when tributaries are impounded by the relatively rapid aggradation of a large river and its floodplain. These features are common in the landscape, and have been identified in the floodplains of the Solimões‐Amazon (Brazil) and Fly‐Strickland Rivers (Papua New Guinea), for example, but their inaccessibility has resulted in studies being limited to remotely sensed image analysis. This paper documents the sedimentology and geomorphic evolution of a blocked‐valley lake, Lake Futululu on the Mfolozi River floodplain margin, in South Africa, while also offering a context for the formation of lakes and wetlands at tributary junctions. The study combines aerial photography, elevation data from orthophotographs and field survey, and longitudinal sedimentology determined from a series of cores, which were sub‐sampled for organic content and particle size analysis. Radiocarbon dating was used to gauge the rate and timing of peat accumulation. Results indicate that following the last glacial maximum, rising sea‐levels caused aggradation of the Mfolozi River floodplain. By 3980 years bp , aggradation on the floodplain had impounded the Futululu drainage line, creating conditions suitable for peat formation, which has since occurred at a constant average rate of 0·13 cm year^?1. Continued aggradation on the Mfolozi River floodplain has raised the base level of the Futululu drainage line, resulting in a series of back‐stepping sedimentary facies with fluvially derived sand and silt episodically prograding over lacustrine peat deposits. Blocked‐valley lakes form where the trunk river has a much larger sediment load and catchment than the tributary stream. Similarly, when the relative difference in sediment loads is less, palustrine wetlands, rather than lakes, may be the result. In contrast, where tributaries drain a steep, well‐connected catchment, they may impound much larger trunk rivers, creating lakes or wetlands upstream.     

若尔盖高原典型泥炭湿地水量平衡计算

若尔盖泥炭湿地具有蓄水、固碳和生态的重要功能,其地下水水位变化决定泥炭湿地面积维持或萎缩,但是其泥炭湿地的地下水水文过程和水量动态变化缺少系统的野外监测和研究。结合红原站气象资料,并于2017年5月、7月和9月在若尔盖黑河上游泥炭湿地典型小流域开展野外原位监测,利用MODFLOW模型建立小流域三维动态地下水运动模型,模拟地下水运动过程并计算水量动态平衡变化以及沟道排水能力。结果表明:泥炭湿地的主要补水方式是降雨,占补水总量的60%,其主要出流方式是沟道排水,排水比例最高达到53%;其次是潜水蒸发,出流比例为26%。切穿泥炭层的沟道排水能力是未切穿泥炭层沟道的2.5倍。若尔盖泥炭地的地下水位受降雨影响呈现季节性波动,在雨季其涨幅约为0.5 m。     

Peatland development at the arctic tree line (Québec, Canada) influenced by flooding and permafrost

In this study, we documented the Holocene history of a peat plateau at the arctic tree line in northern Québec using stratigraphic and macrofossil analyses to highlight the effects of geomorphic setting in peatland development. Paludification of the site began about 6800 cal yr BP. From 6390 to 4120 cal yr BP, the peatland experienced a series of flooding events. The location of the peatland in a depression bounded by two small lakes likely explains its sensitivity to runoff. The proximity of a large hill bordering the peatland to the south possibly favored the inflow of mineral-laden water. The onset of permafrost aggradation in several parts of the peatland occurred after 3670 cal yr BP. Uplifting of the peatland surface caused by permafrost stopped the flooding. According to radiocarbon dating of the uppermost peat layers, permafrost distribution progressed from the east to the west of the peatland, indicating differential timing for the initiation of permafrost throughout the peatland. Most of the peatland was affected by permafrost growth during the Little Ice Age. Picea mariana macroremains at 6450 cal yr BP indicate that the species was present during the early stages of peatland development, which occurred soon after the sea regression.     

Holocene landscape change at Carn Dubh,near Pitlochry,Perthshire, Scotland

Detailed palynological analyses, including pollen preservation and charcoal counts, and sedimentological analyses (loss-on-ignition, percentage dry weight, dry bulk density and humification), supported by 15 ¹⁴C dates, were applied to a small upland (350 m OD) peat basin near Pitlochry, east-central Grampians, Scotland. Stratigraphical analyses and radiocarbon dating were also undertaken on the valley peat surrounding the basin. Organic sediment began to accumulate in the basin and on the valley floor at ca. 9800 yr BP. ‘Recurrence surfaces’ within the valley floor peat correlate with the end of a trend to increased aridity in the deep basin, from 8900 to 8500 yr BP. Pine may have colonised the hills, with birch, before the migration of hazel at 9150 yr BP. From around 8000 yr BP elm grew on the base-rich soils. Alder may have been present by 7000 yr BP but it did not expand until immediately after the first major anthropogenic disturbance, at 4800 yr BP. Above 8000 yr BP silt was commonly deposited in the basin by streams, but several phases of exceptionally intense inwashing are identified, and at least two of these correlate with periods of increased precipitation. Grazing pressure during the elm decline marks the beginning of a long history of generally low intensity pastoralism, interspersed with periods of heightened anthropogenic activity.     

Impact of peatland drainage and restoration on esker groundwater resources: modeling future scenarios for management

Esker aquifers are common groundwater bodies in Europe. Management of these aquifers should take account of the sustainability of groundwater-dependent ecosystems and land use in an integrated way. An unconfined esker aquifer in northern Finland was modelled with MODFLOW to determine how groundwater resources are impacted by the surrounding peatland drainage scheme and to simulate scenarios for possible drainage restoration. The impacts of groundwater abstraction and climate change were also simulated. A calibration-constrained Monte Carlo method was used to provide information on the uncertainties associated with model predictions. The results suggest that peatland drainage in the vicinity of eskers can have a significant role in lowering the water table, even though climate variability may mask these impacts. Drainage restoration by filling the ditches might have positive impacts on the aquifer water levels. Comparison of water-table changes caused by peatland drainage with the changes brought by water abstraction and climate variability helped to quantify impacts of different land-use scenarios and facilitated discussion with the local stakeholders. Based on this study, more attention should be devoted to peatland drainage schemes in integrated groundwater management of esker aquifers.     

近10年来我国泥炭地学的研究进展

我国泥炭地学经过30余年的初创时期,到1990年基本完成了创建阶段。20世纪90年代以来,泥炭地学处于发展时期,在泥炭沼泽生态系统、泥炭特性与物质组成、泥炭形成环境与聚煤作用对比、泥炭地温室气体与全球变化、泥炭沼泽水文与微地貌、泥炭形成机制与成炭期、泥炭地层以及以泥炭为信息载体的环境变迁等方面的研究日益接近世界先进水平,某些研究甚至处于世界领先地位;与国际交往更加频繁;在泥炭应用和研究方法等方面也取得了显著成就。但泥炭地恢复等方面研究较加拿大等先进国家还有一定距离。总结了我国泥炭地学近10年的研究历史和现状,并对未来研究做了展望。     

Development of a tidal marsh in a New England river valley

A model for the geomorphic and vegetation development of a river valley tidal marsh in southern New England (Connecticut) is based on both the species composition of roots and rhizomes and on the mineralogic sediments preserved in peat. The maximum depth of salt marsh peat is 3.8 m and in the deepest areas this can overlie up to 1.9 m of fresh to brackish water peat. Based on a radiocarbon date of 3670±140 yr before the present (B.P.) for basal peat at a depth of 4.0 m, vertical accretion rates have averaged ca. 1.1 mm yr^?1. Salt marsh formation began in response to rising sea level 3800–4000 yr B.P., as brackish marshes, dominated by bulrush (Scirpus sp.), replaced freshwater wetlands along stream and river channels. Gradually salt marsh vegetation developed over submerging brackish marshes, adjacent uplands, and accreting tidal flats. By 3000 yr B.P. the lower estuary was tidal, with sufficient salinity for salt marsh to dominate most wetlands. Spikegrass (Distichlis spicata) was an important early colonizer in salt marsh formation and its role in marsh development has not been documented previously. Blackgrass (Juncus gerardi), currently a typical upper border species, appears in the peat record relatively recently, perhaps within the last few centuries. In contrast, reed (Phragmites australis) has been present for at least 3500 yr. The dominance of reed along the upper border today, however, appears to be a relatively recent phenomenon.     

Long-term Arctic peatland dynamics, vegetation and climate history of the Pur-Taz region, Western Siberia

Stratigraphic analyses of peat composition, LOI, pollen, spores, macrofossils, charcoal and AMS ages are used to reconstruct the peatland. vegetation and climatic dynamics in the Pur-Taz region of western Siberia over 5000 years (9300-4500 BP). Section stratigraphy shows many changes from shallow lake sediment to different combinations of forestcd or open sedge, moss, and Equisetum fen and peatland environments. Macrofossil and pollen data indicate that Larix sibirica and Beth pubescens trees were the first to arrive, followed by Picea obovata . The dominance of Picea macrofossils 6000-5000 BP in the Pur-Taz peatland along with regional Picea pollen maxima indicate warmer conditions and movement of the spruce treeline northward at this time. The decline of pollen and macrofossils from all of these tree species in uppermost peats suggests a change in the environment less favorable for their growth, perhaps cooler tempratures and/or less moisture. Of major significance is the evidence for old ages of the uppermost peats in this area of Siberia, suggesting a real lack of peat accumulation in recent millennia or recent oxidation of uppermost peat.     

Peatland dynamics in a complex landscape: Development of a fen‐bog complex in the Sporadic Discontinuous Permafrost zone of northern Alberta,Canada

Bauer, I. E. & Vitt, D. H. 2011: Peatland dynamics in a complex landscape: Development of a fen‐bog complex in the Sporadic Discontinuous Permafrost zone of northern Alberta, Canada. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2011.00210.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. The development of a peatland complex in the Sporadic Discontinuous Permafrost zone of northwestern Alberta, Canada was reconstructed using a series of dated profiles. Peat‐forming communities first established c. 10 230 cal. a BP, and by 8000 cal. a BP the site supported monocot fens or marshes in several isolated topographic depressions. Most of the current peatland area initiated between c. 8000 and 4000 cal. a BP, and involved the replacement of upland habitats by shrubby or treed fen and, in some areas, the establishment of Sphagnum on mineral terrain. Ombrotrophic hummock communities had established by c. 7000 cal. a BP, and permafrost was present at 6800 cal. a BP in at least some peat plateau areas. Macrofossil‐based reconstructions show considerable local diversity in vegetation succession and permafrost dynamics, with cyclic collapse and aggradation in at least one profile and relative stability in others. Lichen‐rich peat is rare in deep‐peat plateau cores, and where charcoal was recovered, fire effects on vegetation trajectories varied between cores. Organic matter accumulation was high in the early Holocene and declined after permafrost formation, with low rates especially over the past 4000 years. The site was burned in a wildfire in 1971, and by 1998 permafrost had disappeared from almost all peat plateau areas. In this part of the discontinuous permafrost zone, peat plateaus are likely to be unsustainable under a warming climate. The hydrology and carbon dynamics of former plateau areas following large‐scale permafrost degradation require further investigation.     

Holocene carbon storage and testate amoeba community structure in treed peatlands of the western Hudson Bay Lowlands margin,Canada

The Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) stores a significant proportion of the northern peatland carbon pool, and constraints on the factors controlling local-scale variation are needed to better predict soil carbon stocks. We investigated two treed peatland sites, a fen and a bog, to understand how local ecohydrological factors impacted long-term carbon storage. Ecohydrological conditions were reconstructed using quantitative water table depth reconstructions from testate amoebae (TA) and broad peat type classifications. We also linked these factors and carbon storage to changes in TA community structure through the investigation of morphological and functional traits. Both sites have high rates of peat vertical accretion during the warmer Middle Holocene. A shift to a drier, Sphagnum-dominated habitat after 7400 cal a bp at the bog site, however, led to lower apparent carbon accumulation rates (aCARs) than at the fen site. aCARs decreased with the transition to a cooler Late Holocene climate at both sites. Both sites have higher total carbon masses (kg m⁻²) than other more open and younger HBL localities, demonstrating the potential importance of treed peatlands in regional carbon storage. Shifts in the frequency of TA traits corresponded to changing ecohydrological conditions and provided insights into the role of TA in carbon storage.     

Response of a warm temperate peatland to Holocene climate change in northeastern Pennsylvania

Studying boreal-type peatlands near the edge of their southern limit can provide insight into responses of boreal and sub-arctic peatlands to warmer climates. In this study, we investigated peatland history using multi-proxy records of sediment composition, plant macrofossil, pollen, and diatom analysis from a ¹⁴C-dated sediment core at Tannersville Bog in northeastern Pennsylvania, USA. Our results indicate that peat accumulation began with lake infilling of a glacial lake at ~ 9 ka as a rich fen dominated by brown mosses. It changed to a poor fen dominated by Cyperaceae (sedges) and Sphagnum (peat mosses) at ~ 1.4 ka and to a Sphagnum-dominated poor fen at ~ 200 cal yr BP (~ AD 1750). Apparent carbon accumulation rates increased from 13.4 to 101.2 g C m^? 2 yr^? 1 during the last 8000 yr, with a time-averaged mean of 27.3 g C m^? 2 yr^? 1. This relatively high accumulation rate, compared to many northern peatlands, was likely caused by high primary production associated with a warmer and wetter temperate climate. This study implies that some northern peatlands can continue to serve as carbon sinks under a warmer and wetter climate, providing a negative feedback to climate warming.     

中国泥炭记录末次冰消期以来古气候研究进展

泥炭记录的环境演变是过去全球变化（PAGES）研究的重要领域之一,分析了中国泥炭记录的古气候演化研究的区域范围,当前主要以东北哈尼、青藏高原的红原、神农架大九湖以及华南定南大湖四个位于东部季风区的研究工作最为集中。泥炭沉积高分辨率综合信息揭示了末次冰消期以来中国气候变化的时空特征：冷暖干湿变化既有一致性又表现出区域差异,末次冰消期东北地区、东部山地、华南地区都表现出冷偏湿的气候特点,而青藏高原却为冷偏干或凉偏干;Younger Dryas（YD）事件之后,全新世早期和中期青藏高原、东部山地、华南地区气候总体以温湿为主要特征,而东北地区有效降水减少,到全新世晚期,呈现出干旱的变化趋势。并对B~A事件,YD事件,8.2 ka 以及4.2 ka等重大气候突变事件研究工作进行了综述。最后指出今后应拓展与重建更多区域古气候环境变化序列的对比,加强泥炭沉积及环境指标的基础理论,重视和提高大气沉降泥炭档案以及气候变化背景下泥炭地碳循环机制等研究工作。     

Holocene peat growth and decay dynamics in sub-arctic peat plateaus, west-central Canada

Peat and net carbon accumulation rates in two sub-arctic peat plateaus of west-central Canada have been studied through geochemical analyses and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating. The peatland sites started to develop around 6600–5900 cal. yr BP and the peat plateau stages are characterized by Sphagnum fuscum peat alternating with rootlet layers. The long-term peat and net carbon accumulation rates for both profiles are 0.30–0.31 mm/yr and 12.5–12.7 gC/m²yr, respectively. These values reflect very slow peat accumulation (0.04–0.09 mm/yr) and net carbon accumulation (3.7–5.2 gC/m²yr) in the top rootlet layers. Extensive AMS radiocarbon dating of one profile shows that accumulation rates are variable depending on peat plateau stage. Peat accumulation rates are up to six times higher and net carbon accumulation rates up to four times higher in S. fuscum than in rootlet stages. Local fires represented by charcoal remains in some of the rootlet layers result in very low accumulation rates. High C/N ratios throughout most of the peat profiles suggest low degrees of decomposition due to stable permafrost conditions. Hence, original peat accretion has remained largely unaltered, except in the initial stages of peatland development when permafrost was not yet present.     

The influence of climate,hydrology and permafrost on Holocene peat accumulation at 3500 m on the eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Peatland of the eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau lies at the convergence of the East Asian and Indian monsoon systems in eastern Asia. To understand the evolution of this peatland and its potential to provide new insights into the Holocene evolution of the East Asian monsoon a 6 m peat core was collected from the undisturbed central part of a peat deposit near Hongyuan. The age-depth profile was determined using 16 ¹⁴C-AMS age dates, the peat analysed for a range of environmental variables including carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen concentration, bulk density, δ¹³C and the associated spring water analysed for hydrogen and oxygen isotopes. The age-depth profile of the recovered peat sequence covers the period from 9.6 to 0.3 kyr BP and is linear indicating that the conditions governing productivity and decay varied little over the Holocene. Using changes in carbon density, organic carbon content and its δ¹³C, cold dry periods of permafrost characterised by low density and impeded surface drainage were identified. The low δ¹⁸O and δD values of the spring water emanating around the peat deposit, down to ?13.8 and ?102‰ (VSMOW), respectively, with an inverse relationship between electrical conductivity and isotopic composition indicate precipitation under colder and drier conditions relative to the present day. In view of the current annual mean air temperature of 1 °C this suggests conditions in the past have been conducive to permafrost. Inferred periods of permafrost correspond to independently recognised cold periods in other Holocene records from across China at 8.6, 8.2–7.8, 5.6–4.2, 3.1 and 1.8–1.5 kyr BP. The transition to a cold dry climate appears to be more rapid than the subsequent recovery and cold dry periods at Hongyuan are of longer duration than equivalent cold dry periods over central and eastern China. Light–dark banding peat on a scale of 15–30 years from 9.6 to 5.5 kyr BP may indicate a strong influence of decadal oscillations possibly the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and a potential link between near simultaneous climatic changes in the northwest Pacific, ENSO, movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the East Asian Monsoon.     

Coal facies in a Cenozoic paralic lignite bed, Krabi Basin, southern Thailand: Changing peat-forming conditions related to relative sea-level controlled watertable variations

The Cenozoic Krabi Basin in the southern part of peninsular Thailand contains about 112 million tons proven coal reserves. At present, coal is only produced from the Bang Mark mine located in the southern part of the basin, where the main lignite bed is 7-20 m thick. The lignite bed occurs in an overall paralic succession. The present paper investigates the depositional conditions of an approximately 8 m thick lignite bed (main seam) in the Bang Mark mine using organic petrography, including maceral ratios, and geochemistry. The results are further interpreted in a sequence stratigraphic context. The lignite is of low rank and is completely dominated by huminite indicating generally oxygen-deficient conditions in the precursor mire. Very low inertinite contents suggest rare occurrences of wildfires. The lower part of the lignite bed represents a topogenous fresh water peat mire with open water areas that in few cases may have experienced influx of saline water. The peat mire was subjected to periodic inundations and deposition of siliciclastics. Tissue preservation was relatively poor. The upper part of the lignite bed represents a slightly domed fresh water ombrogenous peat mire with a stable watertable and a balance between peat accumulation and accommodation space creation that favoured preservation of plant tissues. In general, the mire vegetation changed from less woody in the topogenous mire to more arborescent in the ombrogenous mire, where plants with suberinised wood cell walls also were more frequent. Decompacted, the lignite bed corresponds to a minimum ~ 11 m thick peat deposit that records from ~ 22,000 to 55,000 years of peat accumulation. Watertable rise in the peat mire was controlled overall by relative sea-level rise. In a sequence stratigraphic context, the lignite bed overlies a terrestrialisation surface (TeS; sensu Diessel, 2007) and the lowermost part records peat formation during a falling watertable and a decreasing accommodation/peat accumulation ratio (terrestrialisation). An accommodation reversal surface (ARS; sensu Diessel, 2007) indicates a change to paludification style of peat formation characterised by rising watertable and a high accommodation/peat accumulation ratio. Another ARS marks a gradual change to a situation with a balanced accommodation/peat accumulation ratio. The overall watertable rise throughout peat formation, but at a gradually slower rate from base to top, suggests that the lignite bed could be located in the late transgressive systems tract (TST).     

Sedimentation and recent history of a freshwater wetland in a semi-arid environment: Loboi Swamp, Kenya, East Africa

Loboi Swamp is a 1·5 km² freshwater wetland situated near the equator in the Kenya Rift Valley. The climate is semi‐arid: precipitation is ≈ 700 mm year^?1, and evapotranspiration is ≈ 2500 mm year^?1. Some of the wetland water is currently used for irrigation. An interdisciplinary study was conducted on the geology, hydrology, pedology and biology of the wetland to determine its origin and history and to assess its longevity under present hydrological conditions. Sedimentary records from two piston cores (1·8 and 4 m long) indicate that the present wetland developed during the late Holocene on a low‐relief alluvial plain. Floodplain deposits (sandy silts) are capped with wetland sediments (organic‐rich clay and peat), which began to form at ≈ 700 BP. The swamp is dominated by Typha domingensis Pers. (≈ 80%) and floating Cyperus papyrus L. (20%). It is fed by warm springs (T ≈ 35 °C; pH ≈ 6·4–6·9) emanating from grid faults of the rift floor. Water compositions suggest that sources are dominated by shallow meteoric water, with little contribution from deeper geothermal fluids. Siderite concretions in the floodplain silts reflect the Fe‐reducing conditions that developed as the surface became submerged beneath the water table. The pollen record captured both local and more regional vegetation, showing the prevailing dry rift valley climate despite development of the wetter conditions on the valley floor. The diatom record also suggests a dramatic change in local hydrology. The combined biological records of this semi‐arid wetland indicate an abrupt change to wetter conditions, most probably as a result of a regional change in climate. Rift tectonics provided accommodation space, maintained the wetland at or below the water table and enabled spring recharge. The size of the modern wetland has been reduced by about 60% since 1969, which suggests that the system may now be under hydrological stress due to anthropogenic impacts from land‐use change.