Decadal carbon decomposition dynamics in three peatlands in Northern Minnesota

Fissore, C.; Nater, E. A.; McFarlane, K. J.; Klein, A. S.

doi:10.1007/s10533-019-00591-4

Decadal carbon decomposition dynamics in three peatlands in Northern Minnesota

Journal Article · Thu Sep 05 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Biogeochemistry

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-019-00591-4· OSTI ID:1616664

^[1]; Nater, E. A. ^[2]; McFarlane, K. J. ^[3]; Klein, A. S. ^[1]

Whittier College, CA (United States)
Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

The uppermost portion of the peat profile, an area of active diagenetic processes, is exceedingly important for understanding peatland dynamics and the diagenesis and geochemistry of atmospherically-deposited materials. In this study, we investigated high resolution carbon (C) accrual and peat decomposition rates at two Sphagnum-rich ombrotrophic bogs and one fen in northern Minnesota, USA by analyzing 1 cm increments from 30 cm thick intact frozen blocks of peat soil. We conducted radiocarbon analysis of Sphagnum cellulose to determine peat age and net C accumulation at each depth interval. Calibrated peat ages were determined using CALIBomb and a compilation of calibration datasets for the pre-bomb period. We fit data with a negative exponential accumulation model and used model-derived parameters to estimate net primary productivity (NPP) and a peat decomposition rate constant k. FTIR spectroscopy and C:N were used to derive humification indices and to chemically characterize the peat. NPP ranged from 180 to 266 g C m^-2 year^-1, k ranged from 0.015 to 0.019 year^-1. Net C accumulation rates ranged from 112 to 174 g C m^-2 year^-1 at 25 years and 70 to 113 g C m^-2 year-1 at 50 years. Mass loss was up to 55% during the first 50 years of peat accumulation. Decomposition is greater at depth in the bogs—where 25 cm of peat correspond to 55 years of peat accumulation—than in the fen, where peat age is approximately 25 years at 25 cm depth. Lastly, information on fine-scale variations in peat mass decomposition and loss across ombrotrophic bogs and a fen help interpret other diagenetic processes in peatlands.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 1616664

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL--749770; 934951

Journal Information:: Biogeochemistry, Journal Name: Biogeochemistry Journal Issue: 1-2 Vol. 145; ISSN 0168-2563

Publisher:: SpringerCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (49)

Organic matter transformation in the peat column at Marcell Experimental Forest: Humification and vertical stratification: Organic matter dynamics Tfaily, Malak M.; Cooper, William T.; Kostka, Joel E. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 119, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JG002492	journal	April 2014
Biophysical drivers of seasonal variability in Sphagnum gross primary production in a northern temperate bog Walker, Anthony P.; Carter, Kelsey R.; Gu, Lianhong Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 122, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003711	journal	May 2017
A comparative study of peat proxies from two eastern central Swedish bogs and their relation to meteorological data Borgmark, Anders; Schoning, Kristian Journal of Quaternary Science, Vol. 21, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.959	journal	January 2006
The Ecology of Sphagnum Clymo, R. S.; Hayward, P. M. Bryophyte Ecology https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5891-3_8	book	January 1982
Aboveground peat and carbon accumulation potentials along a bog-fen-marsh wetland gradient in southern boreal Alberta, Canada Thormann, Markus N.; Szumigalski, Anthony R.; Bayley, Suzanne E. Wetlands, Vol. 19, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03161761	journal	June 1999
Holocene Carbon Stocks and Carbon Accumulation Rates Altered in Soils Undergoing Permafrost Thaw Hicks Pries, Caitlin E.; Schuur, Edward A. G.; Crummer, K. Grace Ecosystems, Vol. 15, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-011-9500-4	journal	November 2011
Partitioning pathways of CO2 production in peatlands with stable carbon isotopes Corbett, J. Elizabeth; Tfaily, Malak M.; Burdige, David J. Biogeochemistry, Vol. 114, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-012-9813-1	journal	December 2012
Dynamic Vertical Profiles of Peat Porewater Chemistry in a Northern Peatland Griffiths, Natalie A.; Sebestyen, Stephen D. Wetlands, Vol. 36, Issue 6, p. 1119-1130 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0829-5	journal	October 2016
FTIR spectroscopy of peat in and bordering Scots pine woodland: relationship with chemical and biological properties Chapman, S. J.; Campbell, C. D.; Fraser, A. R. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 33, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(01)00023-2	journal	July 2001
Characterization of solid and aqueous phases of a peat bog profile using molecular fluorescence spectroscopy, ESR and FT-IR, and comparison with physical properties Cocozza, C.; D'Orazio, V.; Miano, T. M. Organic Geochemistry, Vol. 34, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0146-6380(02)00208-5	journal	January 2003
Advances in the determination of humification degree in peat since : Applications in geochemical and paleoenvironmental studies Zaccone, Claudio; Plaza, César; Ciavatta, Claudio Earth-Science Reviews, Vol. 185 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2018.05.017	journal	October 2018
14C Analysis of protein extracts from Bacillus spores Cappuccio, Jenny A.; Falso, Miranda J. Sarachine; Kashgarian, Michaele Forensic Science International, Vol. 240 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.04.003	journal	July 2014
Transport and thermodynamics constrain belowground carbon turnover in a northern peatland Beer, Julia; Blodau, Christian Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 71, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2007.03.010	journal	June 2007
Comparisons of soil nitrogen mass balances for an ombrotrophic bog and a minerotrophic fen in northern Minnesota Hill, Brian H.; Jicha, Terri M.; Lehto, LaRae L. P. Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 550 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.01.178	journal	April 2016
FTIR spectroscopy can be used as a screening tool for organic matter quality in regenerating cutover peatlands Artz, Rebekka R. E.; Chapman, Stephen J.; Jean Robertson, A. H. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 40, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2007.09.019	journal	February 2008
Local Spatial Heterogeneity of Holocene Carbon Accumulation throughout the Peat Profile of an Ombrotrophic Northern Minnesota Bog McFarlane, Karis J.; Hanson, Paul J.; Iversen, Colleen M. Radiocarbon, Vol. 60, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2018.37	journal	May 2018
Discussion Reporting of ¹⁴ C Data Stuiver, Minze; Polach, Henry A. Radiocarbon, Vol. 19, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200003672	journal	January 1977
Discussion: Reporting and Calibration of Post-Bomb ¹⁴C Data No authors listed Radiocarbon, Vol. 46, Issue 3, p. 1299-1304 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200033154	journal	January 2004
¹⁴ C Background Levels in An Accelerator Mass Spectrometry System Vogel, J. S.; Nelson, D. E.; Southon, J. R. Radiocarbon, Vol. 29, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200043733	journal	January 1987
Radiocarbon Dating of Modern Peat Profiles: Pre- and Post-Bomb ¹⁴ C Variations in the Construction of Age-Depth Models Goslar, Tomasz; van der Knaap, W. O.; Hicks, Sheila Radiocarbon, Vol. 47, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200052243	journal	January 2005
Comparative Analysis of Cellulose Preparation Techniques for Use with ¹³ C, ¹⁴ C, and ¹⁸ O Isotopic Measurements Gaudinski, Julia B.; Dawson, Todd E.; Quideau, Sylvie Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 77, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1021/ac050548u	journal	November 2005
Nitrogen deposition and increased carbon accumulation in ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern Canada: N DEPOSITION AND PEAT ACCUMULATION Turunen, Jukka; Roulet, Nigel T.; Moore, Tim R. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 18, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GB002154	journal	July 2004
Global peatland dynamics since the Last Glacial Maximum: GLOBAL PEATLANDS SINCE THE LGM Yu, Zicheng; Loisel, Julie; Brosseau, Daniel P. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 37, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL043584	journal	July 2010
Carbon and sediment accumulation in the Everglades (USA) during the past 4000 years: Rates, drivers, and sources of error: EVERGLADES CARBON AND SEDIMENT Glaser, Paul H.; Volin, John C.; Givnish, Thomas J. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 117, Issue G3 https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JG001821	journal	September 2012
Sensitivity of peatland carbon loss to organic matter quality: PEAT QUALITY AND CARBON LOSS Leifeld, Jens; Steffens, Markus; Galego-Sala, Angela Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 39, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051856	journal	July 2012
Accumulation and turnover of carbon in organic and mineral soils of the BOREAS northern study area Trumbore, S. E.; Harden, J. W. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 102, Issue D24 https://doi.org/10.1029/97JD02231	journal	December 1997
Age written in teeth by nuclear tests Spalding, Kirsty L.; Buchholz, Bruce A.; Bergman, Lars-Eric Nature, Vol. 437, Issue 7057 https://doi.org/10.1038/437333a	journal	September 2005
The underappreciated potential of peatlands in global climate change mitigation strategies Leifeld, J.; Menichetti, L. Nature Communications, Vol. 9, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03406-6	journal	March 2018
Substrate-derived CO2 is important in the development of Sphagnum spp. Smolders, A. J. P.; Tomassen, H. B. M.; Pijnappel, H. W. New Phytologist, Vol. 152, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0028-646X.2001.00261.x	journal	November 2001
The Limits to Peat Bog Growth Clymo, R. S. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 303, Issue 1117 https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1984.0002	journal	January 1984
Thawing permafrost increases old soil and autotrophic respiration in tundra: Partitioning ecosystem respiration using δ ¹³ C and ∆ ¹⁴ C Hicks Pries, Caitlin E.; Schuur, Edward A. G.; Crummer, Kathryn G. Global Change Biology, Vol. 19, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12058	journal	November 2012
Radiocarbon peat chronologies and environmental change Blaauw, Maarten; Christen, J. Andres Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series C (Applied Statistics), Vol. 54, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9876.2005.00516.x	journal	August 2005
Microbial Metabolic Potential for Carbon Degradation and Nutrient (Nitrogen and Phosphorus) Acquisition in an Ombrotrophic Peatland Lin, Xueju; Tfaily, Malak M.; Green, Stefan J. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 80, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00206-14	journal	March 2014
Rates of peat accumulation during the postglacial period in 32 sites from Alaska to Newfoundland, with special emphasis on northern Minnesota Gorham, Eville; Janssens, Joannes A.; Glaser, Paul H. Canadian Journal of Botany, Vol. 81, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1139/b03-036	journal	May 2003
Carbon accumulation in peat deposits from northern Sweden to northern Germany during the last millennium van der Linden, Marjolein; Heijmans, Monique MPD; van Geel, Bas The Holocene, Vol. 24, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683614538071	journal	June 2014
Carbon-isotope variation in Sphagnum from hummock-hollow complexes: implications for Holocene climate reconstruction Price, Gregory D.; McKenzie, Jane E.; Pilcher, Jon R. The Holocene, Vol. 7, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1177/095968369700700211	journal	June 1997
Recent rates of carbon and nitrogen accumulation in peatlands of Isla Grande de Chiloé-Chile León, Carolina A.; Oliván, Gisela Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, Vol. 87, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40693-014-0026-y	journal	November 2014
Input rates, decay losses and accumulation rates of carbon in bogs during the last millennium: internal processes and environmental changes Malmer, Nils; Wallén, Bo The Holocene, Vol. 14, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1191/0959683604hl693rp	journal	January 2004
Peatland Biogeochemistry and Watershed Hydrology at the Marcell Experimental Forest Kolka, Randall; Sebestyen, Stephen; Verry, Elon S. CRC Press https://doi.org/10.1201/b10708	book	January 2011
Effects of Climate Change on Peatlands in the Far North of Ontario, Canada: A Synthesis McLaughlin, Jim; Webster, Kara Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, Vol. 46, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1657/1938-4246-46.1.84	journal	February 2014
Uncertainty in Peat Volume and Soil Carbon Estimated Using Ground-Penetrating Radar and Probing Parsekian, Andrew D.; Slater, Lee; Ntarlagiannis, Dimitrious Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 76, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2012.0040	journal	January 2012
Northern Peatlands: Role in the Carbon Cycle and Probable Responses to Climatic Warming Gorham, Eville Ecological Applications, Vol. 1, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.2307/1941811	journal	May 1991
Carbon Dioxide and Methane Exchange of a Subarctic Heath in Response to Climate Change Related Environmental Manipulations Christensen, T. R.; Michelsen, A.; Jonasson, S. Oikos, Vol. 79, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2307/3546087	journal	May 1997
IntCal13 and Marine13 Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curves 0–50,000 Years cal BP Reimer, Paula J.; Bard, Edouard; Bayliss, Alex Radiocarbon, Vol. 55, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_js_rc.55.16947	journal	January 2013
Atmospheric Radiocarbon for the Period 1950–2010 Hua, Quan; Barbetti, Mike; Rakowski, Andrzej Z. Radiocarbon, Vol. 55, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_js_rc.v55i2.16177	journal	January 2013
Peatland Microbial Communities and Decomposition Processes in the James Bay Lowlands, Canada Preston, Michael D.; Smemo, Kurt A.; McLaughlin, James W. Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol. 3 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2012.00070	journal	January 2012
Temperature of upland and peatland soils in a north central Minnesota forest Nichols, Dale S. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, Vol. 78, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.4141/S96-030	journal	August 1998
Litter type affects the activity of aerobic decomposers in a boreal peatland more than site nutrient and water table regimes Straková, P.; Niemi, R. M.; Freeman, C. Biogeosciences, Vol. 8, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-2741-2011	journal	January 2011
Peat decomposition records in three pristine ombrotrophic bogs in southern Patagonia Broder, T.; Blodau, C.; Biester, H. Biogeosciences, Vol. 9, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-1479-2012	journal	January 2012

Similar Records

Variation in carbon and nitrogen concentrations among peatland categories at the global scale

Journal Article · Tue Nov 22 23:00:00 EST 2022 · PLoS ONE · OSTI ID:2203827

Local Spatial Heterogeneity of Holocene Carbon Accumulation throughout the Peat Profile of an Ombrotrophic Northern Minnesota Bog

Journal Article · Wed May 30 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Radiocarbon · OSTI ID:1439959

Decomposition in northern Minnesota peatlands

Thesis/Dissertation · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1984 · OSTI ID:7016478

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Decadal carbon decomposition dynamics in three peatlands in Northern Minnesota

Citation Formats

References (49)

Similar Records

Related Subjects