Bacon, KL orcid.org/0000-0002-8944-5107, Baird, AJ orcid.org/0000-0001-8198-3229, Blundell, A et al. (15 more authors) (2017) Questioning ten common assumptions about peatlands. Mires and Peat, 19. 12. pp. 1-23. ISSN 1819-754X
Abstract
Peatlands have been widely studied in terms of their ecohydrology, carbon dynamics, ecosystem services and palaeoenvironmental archives. However, several assumptions are frequently made about peatlands in the academic literature, practitioner reports and the popular media which are either ambiguous or in some cases incorrect. Here we discuss the following ten common assumptions about peatlands:
1. the northern peatland carbon store will shrink under a warming climate;
2. peatlands are fragile ecosystems;
3. wet peatlands have greater rates of net carbon accumulation;
4. different rules apply to tropical peatlands;
5. peat is a single soil type;
6. peatlands behave like sponges;
7. Sphagnum is the main ‘ecosystem engineer’ in peatlands;
8. a single core provides a representative palaeo-archive from a peatland;
9. water-table reconstructions from peatlands provide direct records of past climate change; and
10. restoration of peatlands results in the re-establishment of their carbon sink function.
In each case we consider the evidence supporting the assumption and, where appropriate, identify its shortcomings or ways in which it may be misleading.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 International Mire Conservation Group and International Peatland Society. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | carbon, climate, ecosystem, hydrology, peatland |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > River Basin Processes & Management (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > Ecology & Global Change (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Aug 2017 15:33 |
Last Modified: | 09 Aug 2019 14:41 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | International Mire Conservation Group, International Peat Society |
Identification Number: | 10.19189/MaP.2016.OMB.253 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:119944 |