Abstract
In this paper we report new data on peat carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations and accumulation rates for 15 sites in the UK. Concentrations of C, N and P measured in peat from five ombrotrophic blanket mires, spanning 4000–10,000years to present were combined with existing nutrient data from ten Scottish ombrotrophic peat bogs to provide the first UK perspective on millennial scale macronutrient concentrations in ombrotrophic peats. Long-term average C, N and P concentrations (0–1.25m) for the UK are 54.8, 1.56 and 0.039wt%, of similar magnitude to the few published comparable sites worldwide. The uppermost peat (0–0.2m) is enriched in P and N (51.0, 1.86, and 0.070wt%) relative to the deeper peat (0.5–1.25m, 56.3, 1.39, and 0.027wt%). Long-term average (whole core) accumulation rates of C, N and P are 25.3±2.2gCm−2year−1 (mean±SE), 0.70±0.09gNm−2year−1 and 0.018±0.004gPm−2year−1, again similar to values reported elsewhere in the world. The two most significant findings are: 1) that a regression model of N concentration on P concentration and mean annual precipitation, based on global meta data for surface peat samples, can explain 54% of variance in N concentration in these UK peat profiles; and 2) budget calculations for the UK peat cores yield an estimate for long-term average N-fixation of 0.8gm−2year−1. Our UK results, and comparison with others sites, corroborate published estimates of N storage in northern boreal peatlands through the Holocene as ranging between 8 and 15Pg N. However, the observed correlation of N% with both mean annual precipitation and P concentration allows a potential bias in global estimates that do not take this into account.The peat sampling data set has been deposited at the NERC Data Centre (Toberman et al., 2016).
Highlights
Peatlands represent a globally-important store for carbon (C) (530– 694 Pg C: Yu et al, 2010) and nitrogen (N) (8–15 Pg N: Limpens et al, 2006) through the Holocene, and ombrotrophic peats across northern latitudes make an especially significant contribution (436 Pg C: Loisel et al, 2014; 9.7–18.5 Pg N: Loisel et al, 2014; Wang et al, 2015; 0.34 Pg P: Wang et al, 2015)
Though plant macrofossils are commonly preferred for dating purposes (Nilsson et al, 2001), we consider the average age of the 10 cm peat subsamples sufficient for our low-resolution analysis
The peats at Dartmoor and Glensaugh have accumulated since ca. 4000 years before present, the Moor House peats since ca. 5700 year BP the Migneint sequence since ca. 6200 year BP while the Forsinard Flow record spans most of the Holocene
Summary
D.N. Schillereff et al / Science of the Total Environment xxx (2016) xxx–xxx cores yield an estimate for long-term average N-fixation of 0.8 g m−2 year−1. Our UK results, and comparison with others sites, corroborate published estimates of N storage in northern boreal peatlands through the Holocene as ranging between 8 and 15 Pg N. The observed correlation of N% with both mean annual precipitation and P concentration allows a potential bias in global estimates that do not take this into account. The peat sampling data set has been deposited at the NERC Data Centre (Toberman et al, 2016)
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