Question

How can sequencing of carbon in a peatland be determined?

Carbon biomass in a peatland plays an important role in the ecosystem as well as in the productivity of that area. To sequence the carbon is important to determine the amount of carbon in that area. What techniques/methods can be applied to determine carbon amount in a peatland ecosystem?
May 11, 2012

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All Answers (8)

  • Nigel Munn
    Wouldn't one use a method similar to that for the determination of total organic carbon in soil samples? The dichromate method or something similar.
    May 11, 2012
  • C. Hamilton · California State University, Bakersfield
    Perhaps one of the following articles might be of interest to you:

    1) Methods for Determining Peat Humification and for Quantifying Peat Bulk Density, Organic Matter, Carbon Content for Palaeostudies of Climate and Peatland Carbon Dynamics – CHAMBERS et al., 2011

    http://www.mires-and-peat.net/map07/map_07_07.pdf


    2) Ecosystem Carbon Storage and Flux in Upland/Peatland Watersheds in Northern Minnesota – GRIGAL et al., 2011

    http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2011/nrs_2011_grigal_001.pdf


    3) Soil Organic Carbon Pools in the Northern Circumpolar Permafrost Region – TARNOCAI et al., 2009

    http://www.lter.uaf.edu/dev2009/pdf/1350_Tarnocai_Canadell_2009.pdf


    4) Methods for the Determination of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in Soils and Sediments – SCHUMACHER, 2002

    http://www.epa.gov/esd/cmb/research/papers/bs116.pdf
    May 11, 2012
  • Sílvio Vaz Jr. · EMBRAPA
    Hi, Arshad.
    The TOC method by EPA is good for quantification, as discribed by our colleagues.
    But if you wanna get qualification data, I suggest EPR for organic free radical from humic acid, besides FTIR, RMN, and UV-Vis - see Stevenson, 1994: Humus Chemistry - Genesis, Composition, Reaction (Wiley).
    May 11, 2012
  • Thomas Priester · TMP Risk Assessment
    In general, I find the suggestions offered above to be quite adequate. Other good resources are:
    Page, A.L. 1982. Methods of Soil Analysis - Part 2: Chemical and Microbiological Properties, American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI, ASA Monograph No. 9.
    May 11, 2012
  • Arshad Shedayi · Karakoram International University
    Thank you all distinguished scholars and researchers for helping me out in this topic.....
    May 12, 2012
  • Solomon Omwoma · Beijing University of Chemical Technology
    I wish to add that although you will have to employ complete block design in sampling and analysis, you should try and condense the sampling sites and have as many as possible so that when you will be cleaning your data for outliers you will remain with substantial data to anlyse. Consider also core sampling if you intent to answer your sequencing objective. Time of sampling is also vital and hence it should be consistent at all sampling points. Keep in mind that decomposition processes release carbon dioxide and the activity has an optimal temperature. Otherwise the methods stated above are sufficient enough to generate data.
    May 16, 2012
  • Egil Gjessing · University of Oslo
    In my opinion, carbon as such in peat lands, play a minor role, relative to productivity.
    The quality of the NOM in these relationships is depending on pH, humidity, temp., content of micro nutrients etc.
    May 22, 2012
  • Arshad Shedayi · Karakoram International University
    Egil Gjessing ! thank you for your comment... but sir, would you please explain what other factors are important for productivity in peat lands? and what is the significance of carbon in any plant productivity in any grassland or forest ecosystem?
    May 23, 2012

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