Decomposition in peatlands

Vegetation exerts a greater control on litter decomposition than climate warming in peatlands.

Historically, slow decomposition rates have resulted in the accumulation of large amounts of carbon in northern peatlands. Both climate warming and vegetation change can alter rates of decomposition, and hence affect rates of atmospheric CO2 exchange, with consequences for climate change feedbacks. Although warming and vegetation change are happening concurrently, little is known about their re...

The Relative Importance of Methanogenesis in the Decomposition of Organic Matter in Northern Peatlands

Using an isotope-mass balance approach and assuming the equimolar production of CO2 and CH4 from methanogenesis (e.g., anaerobic decomposition of cellulose), we calculate that the proportion of total CO2 production frommethanogenesis varies from 37 to 83% across a variety of northern peatlands. In a relative sense, methanogenesis was a more important pathway for decomposition in bogs (80 ± 13% ...

Managing peatlands in Indonesia

Mapping peatlands

Meeting the challenge of mapping peatlands with remotely sensed data O. N. Krankina, D. Pflugmacher, M. Friedl, W. B. Cohen, P. Nelson, and A. Baccini Oregon State University, Department of Forest Science, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA Boston University, Department of Geography and Environment, 675 Commonwealth Ave., 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA Forestry Sciences Laboratory,...

Methane production in Minnesota peatlands.

Rates of methane production in Minnesota peats were studied. Surface (10- to 25-cm) peats produced an average of 228 nmol of CH(4) per g (dry weight) per h at 25 degrees C and ambient pH. Methanogenesis rates generally decreased with depth in ombrotrophic peats, but on occasion were observed to rise within deeper layers of certain fen peats. Methane production was temperature dependent, increas...