Soil organic matter carbon chemistry signatures, hydrophobicity and humification index following land use change in temperate peat soils

Peatlands play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, storing large amounts of because net imbalance between primary production and microbial decomposition organic matter. Nevertheless, peatlands have historically been drained for energy sources (e.g. peat briquettes), forestry, or agriculture - practices that could affect quality soil matter (SOM) composition, hydrophobicity humification index. This study compared effect land use change on composition peatland material Co-Offaly, Ireland. Specifically, grazing (grassland), forest plantation (forest plantation), industrial cutaway (cutaway bog) an undrained actively accumulating bog (as reference natural peatland) were studied. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to examine quality, specifically degree (DDI), chemistry signatures, The ratio hydrophobic hydrophilic group intensities calculated as SOM hydrophobicity. In general, there is greater variance signature, such aliphatic methyl methylene, C=O stretching amide groups, aromatic C=C, strong H-bond conjugated ketones O–H deformation C– O phenolics secondary alcohols samples from than grassland samples. aromaticity are significantly impacted by changes, with trend order active > grassland. A comparison index showed more advanced state degradation and, lesser extent, plantation.