Meng Wang1, Tim R. Moore2, Julie Talbot3, John L. Riley4
1 College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University,Shaanxi, China
2 Department of Geography, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
3 Département de Géographie, Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada
4 Nature Conservancy of Canada,Ontario, Canada
Peatlands act as biogeochemical interfaces between terrestrial and aquatic systems and are ‘hotspots’, particularly for carbon cycling and the accumulation of nutrients and other elements within the peat profile. This results in storage of substantial amounts of carbon, nutrients and metals, particularly in northern peatlands. Using a data base of over 400 peat profiles and 1700 individual peat samples from bog, fen and swamp sites in Ontario, Canada, we examine the profile concentrations of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al), and estimate the storage and accumulation of these elements. We show how these profiles, spatial patterns, stoichiometries and accumulation rates are controlled by biogeochemical processes and influenced by geochemical setting, hydrology, atmospheric input and pollution, and ecological and microbial transformations.
