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Linking carbon and sulphur cycling during simulated drought cycles in peat from six sites across the UK

Water table draw-down is thought to increase peat decomposition and, therefore, DOC release. However, several studies have shown lower DOC concentrations during droughts relative to ‘normal’ periods with high water table.

Andreas Heinemeyer / Published on 9 March 2009
Citation

Clark, J.M.; Heinemeyer, A.; Martin, P.; Bottrell, S. (2008). Linking carbon and sulphur cycling during simulated drought cycles in peat from six sites across the UK. Farrell, C. and J. Feehan (eds.) Proceedings of the 13th International Peat Congress: After Wise Use – The Future of Peatlands, Tullamore, Ireland, 8-13 June 2008. Volume 1: Oral Presentations, 572-575. Jyväskylä, Finland: International Peat Society.

The authors carried out controlled incubation experiments at 10°C on 10×10 cm peat soil cores collected from six UK sites across a sulphur deposition gradient. Their aim was to quantify the balance between microbial consumption and chemical precipitation of DOC due to episodic acidification driven by sulphur redox reactions by comparing changes in soil water chemistry to microbial activity (i.e. soil respiration and trace gas fluxes). During dry periods, all sites showed a concurrent increase in SO4 and soil respiration and a decline in DOC. However, the magnitude of change in both DOC and SO4 varied considerably between sites according to historical sulphur deposition loads and the variation in acid/base chemistry.

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SEI author

Andreas Heinemeyer

Senior Research Fellow

SEI York

Related centres
SEI York

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