Quantifying landscape morphology influence on peatland lateral expansion using ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) and peat core analysis

Abstract

AbstractNorthern peatlands contain vast amounts of organic carbon. Large‐scale datasets have documented spatial patterns of peatland initiation as well as vertical peat accumulation rates. However, the rate, pattern, and timing of lateral expansion across the northern landscape remain largely unknown. As peatland lateral extent is a key boundary condition constraining the dynamics of peatland systems, understanding this process is essential. Here we use ground penetrating radar (GPR) and peat core analysis to study the effect of local slope and topography on peatland development at a site in south‐central Alaska. The study site is unique in that a thick tephra (volcanic ash) layer, visible in the GPR data, interrupted the peatland development for about one thousand years during the mid Holocene. In our analysis, this tephra layer serves as a re‐initiation point for peatland development. By comparing the initial mineral basin vs. the post‐tephra surfaces, the influence of topography and slope on peatland expansion rate and peat‐carbon sequestration was analyzed. Our results show that (1) peatland surface slope becomes progressively shallower over the Holocene, (2) slope affects peatland lateral expansion nonlinearly, (3) the relationship between lateral expansion rate and slope follows a power‐law behavior, and (4) peatland expansion becomes slope‐limited above a threshold (0.5°). Furthermore, we propose a conceptual model linking slope to peatland lateral expansion where slope gradient and basin topography exert deterministic controls on peatland lateral expansion directly or through hydrology and vertical accumulation rates.