The results presented here raise some important questions concerning the calculation of peat accumulation rates based on radiocarbon dates from two or more depths and the implications to be drawn from these results on the effectiveness of peatlands
Evidence for the dissolution of magnetite in recent Scottish peats
Diagenesis ; Geochemistry ; Geochronology ; Human impact ; Humid environment ; Peatbog ; Scotland ; United Kingdom
Magnetic, hydrological, and geochemical data for 11 Scottish peat cores confirm previous reports that anthropogenic pollutants constitute the principal source of ferrimagnets to such environments, but indicate that postdepositional Fe3O4 persistence
Based on an understanding of the present snowpatch-forming process, the AA. examine the paleoclimatic implication of the buried peat layers formed around the 10th century, which occur in a snowpatch grassland on Mt. Zarumori in northern Japan.
A mid-Holocene alluvial deposit beneath blanket peat in the upper Liffey Valley, County Wicklow, Ireland
Alluvium ; C 14 dating ; Holocene ; Ireland ; Palaeo-environment ; Palaeovalley ; Peatbog ; Quaternary ; Stratigraphy
This paper describes a recently exposed cross section of a small valley buried beneath blanket peat on the upper slopes of the Liffey valley in the Wicklow Mountains, eastern Ireland, and examines its significance to the understanding of early
The A. examines the geographical patterns of the Finnish mires and the role of regional and local factors that lead to their spatial differentiation. Finland can be divided into 3 roughly latitudinal mire zones (from south to north) : the raised bog
zone, the aapa mire zone, and the palsa mire zone. Research on Finnish peat deposits has also shown that not all peat-stratigraphical changes are caused by past climate variations. They can also be due to the natural growth dynamics of the mires
, such as the long-tern development towards drier conditions on the surface of the raised bogs, and the local changes in water table resulting from growth of hummocks and hollows.
Small palsas with very thin frozen layers are present within the peat deposits east of James Bay. Most of these permafrost landforms are in an advanced stage of decay within raised bogs between 51°45N and 55°N. Air photographs, air-borne surveys
A 200-year tree-ring chronology of pine from a raised bog in Sweden : implication for climate change ?
C 14 dating ; Dendrochronology ; Geochronology ; Holocene ; Palaeo-environment ; Palaeoclimate ; Peatbog ; Sweden
A dendrochronological study was made on fossil tree trunk of Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris, preserved in a peatbog at Hanvedsmossen, 50 km SW of Stockholm. Of 56 sampled pines, 48 were assembled in a 204-year long floating chronology (1686-1483 BC
The components of ombrogenous mires are highly sensitive to change, especially in hydrology. Their vegetation may alter in response to very small changes in water level and/or water chemistry, whereas the underlying peat may undergo total
degradation on dewatering. The ultimate manifestation of sensitivity is peat erosion, which is widespread in the uplands and may, in places, have been ongoing for several hundred years. It is concluded that we may anticipate heightened sensitivity to cultural
pertubation of mire ecosystems during times of climate change, and thus that particular care in our approach to management of blanket peat landscapes is indicated at the present time.
This paper presents the first results of a project that aims to determine the significance of wind action in the erosion of upland peat. Wind erosion monitoring is being undertaken at Moor House in the North Pennines on a 3-ha area of relatively
flat, sparsely vegetated peat. Significant horizontal fluxes of peat occur in both wet and dry periods. This is evaluated using the local micrometeorological data to try and predict sediment yields.
Sediment budget for an eroding peat-moorland catchment in northern England
England ; Erosion ; Gully erosion ; Peatbog ; Sediment budget ; Sediment transport ; United Kingdom ; Watershed
This paper describes a detailed contemporary sediment budget from a small peat-covered upland catchment in Upper Teesdale, northern England. The sediment budget was constructed by measuring : sediment transfers on slopes, sediment flux
were selected to represent the major erosion subsystems within the catchment : an area of bare peat flats, a pair of peat gullies, and a 300 m channel reach.
A Neolithic yew bow in the Polish Carpathians : evidence of the impact of human activity on mountainous palaeoenvironment from the Kamiennik landslide peatbog
Artifact ; C 14 dating ; Carpathian Mountains ; Flysch ; Holocene ; Human impact ; Landslide ; Mountain ; Neolithic ; Palaeo-environment ; Peatbog ; Poland
A unique artefact, the fragment of a bow made of yew wood, indicating the hunting activity of prehistoric man, was found within the sediments of the landslide peatbog (at the depth of 330 cm) formed on the Mt. Kamiennik (Polish Flysch Carpathians
). The datings of this artefact using 14C method indicate its connection with the activity of the Neolithic man, related to the Funnel Beaker Culture. The detailed analyses of the peat sediments (palynological and lithological) formed since the Atlantic phase
Biogeography ; C 14 dating ; Cold area ; Ecosystem ; Finland ; Holocene ; Humid environment ; Palaeo-environment ; Peatbog ; Quaternary
This work seeks to define the relevant factors that may constrain the size, shape, and rate of mire development by directly dating basal peat deposits by radiocarbon, at five peatlands in the boreal region of southern Finland.
In Ireland the detailed information that is required to calculate the peatland soil organic carbon (SOC) pool, such as peat depth, area and carbon density, is inconsistent in quality and coverage. The aim of this research was to develop an improved
method for estimating the depth of blanket peat from elevation, slope and disturbance data to allow more accurate estimations of the SOC pool for blanket peatlands. The model was formulated to predict peat depth at a resolution of 100 ha (1 km2
). The model correctly captured the trend and accounted for 58 to 63% of the observed variation in peat depth in the Wicklow Mountains on the east coast of Ireland. Given that the surface of a blanket peatland masks unknown undulations at the mineral/peat
Characteristics of some organic components of peat in China and their geological significance
Analysis of 41 samples from 11 provinces provides a picture of the geochemical characteristics of the basic organic components of chloroform extract A. Infra red spectra and gas chromatography analysis indicates that the peat is unmature organic
matter and differs completely from ooze in lake or sea bottom. Vegetation species, bog type, evolution stage and sedimentary environment also affect the organic geochemical characteristics.-(TNC)