Reconstructing hydrological variability from testate amoebae analysis in Carpathian peatlands

Peatlands offer the potential for high resolution records of water balance over Holocene timescales, yet this potential is under-exploited in many areas of the world. Within Europe, peatlands are mostly confined to areas north of 55° N, but several areas of southern and eastern Europe contain small peatlands which may be suitable for palaeoclimatic reconstruction. In this paper we test the potential of peatlands in the Carpathian region for deriving quantified estimates of water table changes using testate amoebae analysis. A training set for palaeohydrological reconstruction from testate amoebae assemblages was obtained by collecting surface samples from 13 peatlands, including 9 from Hungary and 4 from Transylvania (Romania). Using a simple measure of mean annual water tables estimated from staining of PVC tape, we found that some peatlands were heavily influenced by runoff and groundwater, and were therefore not suitable as modern analogues of ombrotrophic climatically sensitive sites. The relationship between the testate amoebae assemblages in the modern samples and the environmental variables was explored using CCA. The CCA biplot showed that the most important variables are depth to water table and moisture content, confirming that hydrology is a key control on taxon distribution. pH was a secondary gradient. A transfer function for % moisture and depth to water table was established and applied to fossil assemblages from a sequence from Fenyves-tető, Transylvania, Romania. The reconstructed water table shows a number of variations which have parallels with other palaeoclimatic records from Europe and the North Atlantic prominent phases of higher water tables are associated with the periods 8000–8300 cal BP, 3000–2500 cal BP and after 600 cal BP. We suggest that these were periods of particular intensification of westerly airflow which affected eastern Europe as well as western and central Europe.     

Testate amoebae as paleoindicators of surface-moisture changes on Michigan peatlands: modern ecology and hydrological calibration

Peatland testate amoebae are sensitive indicators of local hydrology and have been used as proxies for surface moisture conditions in fossil studies. However, few regional calibration datasets exist in North America, and knowledge of testate amoeba ecology and distribution patterns are limited. The objectives of this study were to (1) investigate the relationship between testate amoebae, environment, and Sphagnum species in Michigan peatlands; (2) generate transfer functions from this dataset that can be applied to fossil data; and (3) describe vertical variation of testate amoebae inhabiting Sphagnum moss. Testate amoeba assemblages from 139 microsites within 11 peatlands in Michigan were compared to assess variability between and within peatlands. Most peatlands contained similar testate amoeba assemblages, although within individual peatlands the amount of assemblage variability is correlated to the amount of environmental heterogeneity. Of the measured environmental variables, depth to water table showed the strongest relationship with testate amoebae. Depth to water table can be reconstructed from fossil data with a mean error of ±7.5 cm, although predictive ability deteriorates in extremely dry environments (>30 cm water table depth). Vertical variation in testate amoeba assemblages was investigated at 89 Sphagnum-dominated microsites by directly comparing amoeba assemblages and the abundance and frequency of common taxa in upper and lower portions of the Sphagnum stem. Except for extremely dry microsites, considerable vertical variation in assemblage composition exists. Many agglutinate taxa are more abundant on lower portions of the Sphagnum stem, and taxa containing symbiotic zoochlorellae are more abundant on upper portions. Refinements in sampling procedures and analysis may improve the predictive ability of transfer functions.     

Patterns of dissolved organic matter in subarctic peatlands

Samples of water from poor to very rich fens in the Schefferville region of subarctic Quebec revealed strong spatial and temporal variations in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ranging from 2 to 40 mg 1^?1. Concentrations of DOC tend to increase during the summer and decrease in the autumn, at most sites, which probably reflects increased plant tissue decomposition and higher rates of evapotranspiration. Principal components analysis revealed that DOC is strongly associated with Fe, NO^?₃-N and NO^?₂-N, but essentially independent of other chemical properties of the peat water, such as pH, Ca, Mg, K, P, and NH⁺₄-N. Based on observed concentrations of DOC and estimates of summer runoff (June to September), export of DOC from four peatlands ranges from 1·1 to 4·9 gCm^?2, with the lowest values for peatlands underlain by dolomite. Molecular weight fractionation of four samples revealed significant differences in the dissolved organic matter (DOM), with the largest fractions (GF/C to 10 000 nmw) being dominant in the more acid samples. The ratio of absorbance at 400 and 600 nm wavelengths (E₄:E₆) has been used as a simple indicator of differences in DOM type, ranging from 3 to 15. There is a strong seasonal pattern of increasing E₄:E₆ ratio during the summer at many sites, though this ratio is essentially independent of other chemical properties of peat waters.     

Peat erosion and atmospheric deposition impacts on an oligotrophic lake in eastern Ireland

The Holocene diatom and pollen records from Kelly’s Lough have been analysed to determine the timing and extent of the acidification in this upland lake. The pollen data during the early Holocene reflect the typical vegetation changes that occur in sediments throughout Ireland during this period. The diatom record begins by being dominated by circumneutral and acidophilous benthic forms. Later tychoplanktonic Aulacoseira species begin to expand and dominate indicating increased water transparency following the stabilization of catchment soils. Peatland development in the catchment is evident from approximately 6,450 cal year BP. The main change in the diatom assemblages at this time is the decline of Aulacoseira species and expansion of periphytic species. At around 1,450 cal year BP, loss-on-ignition (LOI) values, Calluna pollen and microscopic charcoal all increase suggesting the initiation of a major phase of peat erosion and an increased inwash of organic matter to the lake. Lake acidity changed significantly although the initial acidification is very subtle as indicated by the diatom-inferred pH record. Changes in the diatom assemblages might be largely the result of increasing erosion and inwash of organic matter from the catchment to the lake leading to reduced water transparency and more acidic conditions. The diatom flora remains relatively stable until the mid-twentieth century when more acidibiontic species increase. These diatom changes result in the reconstructed pH curve showing a moderate recent acidification from pH 5.7 to 5.1. About half of the total change in pH took place by around the late 1960s. The lowest diatom-inferred pH value occurs in the late 1970s, and parallels the peak in SO₂ emissions in Ireland. Acidic conditions seem to have prevailed in Kelly’s Lough throughout its entire history and alkalinity has been low or absent for much of the time. However, soil acidification and inwash of organic acids from peatlands are not a sufficiently effective mechanism to explain the low pH levels found today in Kelly’s Lough. The effect of acid deposition on the waters of Kelly’s Lough is clear and it has probably caused these already naturally acid waters to acidify further.     

Boreal peatland margins as repository sites of long-term natural disturbances of balsam fir/spruce forests

A multidisciplinary, high-resolution paleoecological study (Lepidoptera and plant remains, macroscopic charcoal, pollen) was conducted on a 4000-yr peat monolith extracted from the margin of an ombrotrophic peatland on Anticosti Island (Gulf of St. Lawrence, eastern Canada) to reconstruct the long-term natural disturbances (insect outbreaks, forest fires) of a balsam fir/spruce forest. We hypothesized that an activity of insect defoliators (spruce budworm, hemlock looper) was the main disturbance factor of conifer forests during the Late Holocene. The earliest remains of spruce budworm and hemlock looper were found ca. 3220 and 2350 cal yr BP, respectively. Peaks of insect head capsules occurred from ca. 1640 to ca. 625 cal yr BP. Low balsam fir pollen concentrations during this period suggest a lengthy episode ( 1000 yr) of high insect activity, resulting in extensive fir dieback and mortality. The long-term dynamics of the pristine balsam fir/spruce forests were mainly governed by the activity of insect defoliators. The limited extent and possibly the low occurrence of forest fires in the maritime environment of Anticosti Island allowed the development of mature coniferous stands propitious for insect infestations. Insect head capsules appeared to be a useful and effective tool for establishing insect presence and activity during the Holocene.     

Rapid development of an unusual peat-accumulating ecosystem in the Chilean Altiplano

Stratigraphic relationships, radiocarbon dating, sediment and peat characteristics, and rates of peat and carbon accumulation from a soligenous peatland, or “bofedal,” in the Chilean Altiplano shows the peatland to be unusually young, dynamic, and sensitive to environmental changes. The site lies in the National Park Nevado de Tres Cruces in the puna desert grassland at an elevation of 4300 m a.s.l. Eight peat cores were extracted from a 1.75-km transect yielding a maximum of 3.6 m of organic sediment. Organic matter began to accumulate 1700-1100 cal yr B.P. under a progressively arid local climate, after a period when regional climate is believed to have been more humid than at present. Areas of greater relief and better drainage in the valley bottom eventually fostered the growth of a riparian cushion plant community after water flowing down the valley began to diminish. This led to rapid lateral expansion of the riparian peatland communities over open water in topographic depressions at a rate heretofore unprecedented in the peatland literature. It appears that development of the peatland has been encouraged by autoregulation of internal hydrology. The drainage impediment created by organic mass accumulation in lower-relief areas probably reduced the amount of water arriving at the lower reaches of the peatland. These areas have become progressively drier and have since died and oxidized. Through endogenous peat accumulation and a concomitant drainage impediment, the ecosystem has been migrating upstream over the past 50 years.     

A monitoring protocol for vegetation change on Irish peatland and heath

Amendments to Articles 3.3 and 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol have meant that detection of vegetation change may now form an interracial part of national soil carbon stocks. In this study multispectral multi-platform satellite data was processed to detect change to the surface vegetation of four peatland sites and one heath in Ireland. Spectral and spatial thresholds were used on difference images between master and slave data in the extraction of temporally invariant targets for multi-platform cross calibration. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to evaluate any difference in the cumulative probability distributions of the master, slave and calibrated slave data as expressed by the D statistic, with values reduced by an average of 89.7% due to the cross calibration procedure. A change detection model was created which incorporated a spatial threshold of 9 pixels and a standard deviation (SD) spectral threshold. Kappa accuracy values for the five sites ranged from 80 to 97%, showing that 1.5 SD was the optimum spectral threshold for detecting vegetation change. Change detection results showed mean percentage change ranging from 2.11 to 3.28% of total area and cumulative change over the observed time period of between 15.24 and 49.27% of total area.     

Effects of climate anomaly on rainfall,groundwater depth,and soil moisture on peatlands in South Sumatra,Indonesia

Climate anomalies can cause natural disasters such as severe fires and floods on peatlands in South Sumatra. Factors that affect the natural disasters on peatlands include rainfall, groundwater level, and soil moisture. This paper aims to study the effect of the climate anomalies in 2019 and 2020 and effects of these influencing factors on peatlands in South Sumatra. The data used in this study was derived from in-situ measurement at two SESAME’s measurement stations in the study area. The results indicate that in the 2019 dry season, the rainfall was minimal, the lowest groundwater table depth was ?1.14 m and the lowest soil moisture was 3.4%. In the 2020 dry season, rainfall was above the monthly average of 100 mm, the lowest groundwater level was ?0.44 m, and the lowest soil moisture was 26.64%. There is also a strong correlation between soil moisture and groundwater table depth. The correlation between the two is stronger when there is less rainfall.     

Annual variation of temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon decomposition in North peatlands: implications for thermal responses of carbon cycling to global warming

Temperature sensitivities of microbial respiration and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) production were investigated by using a novel method, thermal gradient (2–20°C) temperature bar, in two typical peatlands (bog and fen) in North Wales, UK over 12 months. The study indicated that temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon decomposition in North peatlands was regulated not only by temperature but soil water content, dry–rewet event and phenologies. Potential decreases of Q₁₀ (CO₂) with increasing soil temperature were confirmed in both peatlands, but Q₁₀ (DOC) increase with increasing soil temperature in both bog and fen sites. These results imply, if other factors such as the so-called CO₂ fertilization effect are simultaneously taken into account, that the feedback of global warming induced CO₂ release from peatlands to climate change may be overestimated in current biogeochemical models. However, global warming might have been nonlinearly accelerating DOC thermal production, and therefore it helps explaining the causes of remarkable increase of DOC in surface water in the Northern Hemisphere during last several decades.     

Heat transport in the Red Lake Bog,Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatlands

We report the results of an investigation on the processes controlling heat transport in peat under a large bog in the Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatlands. For 2 years, starting in July 1998, we recorded temperature at 12 depth intervals from 0 to 400 cm within a vertical peat profile at the crest of the bog at sub‐daily intervals. We also recorded air temperature 1 m above the peat surface. We calculate a peat thermal conductivity of 0·5 W m^?1 °C^?1 and model vertical heat transport through the peat using the SUTRA model. The model was calibrated to the first year of data, and then evaluated against the second year of collected heat data. The model results suggest that advective pore‐water flow is not necessary to transport heat within the peat profile and most of the heat is transferred by thermal conduction alone in these waterlogged soils. In the spring season, a zero‐curtain effect controls the transport of heat through shallow depths of the peat. Changes in local climate and the resulting changes in thermal transport still may cause non‐linear feedbacks in methane emissions related to the generation of methane deeper within the peat profile as regional temperatures increase. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.