Miia Parviainen

CLIMATE ENVELOPES OF MIRE COMPLEX TYPES IN FENNOSCANDIA

Abstract. Peatlands are characteristic features of the Fennoscandian landscape, about one‐quarter of the land surface being classified as peatland. The aim of this work was to determine the extent to which the distribution of four main mire complex types (aapa mire, blanket bog, palsa mire, raised bog) can be modelled on the basis of climatological parameters. Additionally, the relative importance of different climatological variables in influencing the distribution of different mire complex types was scrutinized using the variation partitioning method. Variation partitioning is a novel statistical approach that provides deeper understanding of the importance of different explanatory variable groups for geographical patterns than traditional regression methods. The variation in the distribution of mire complex types was decomposed into independent and joint effects of temperature, precipitation and spatial variables. The distributional limits of aapa mires, palsa mires and raised bogs were primarily associated with thermal factors, whereas moisture regime also played an obvious role for blanket bogs. A considerable amount of variation in the distribution of mire complex types was accounted for by the joint effects of explanatory variables and may thus be causally related to two or all three groups of variables. Although the present distribution of mire complex types corresponded well to the contemporary climate in Fennoscandia, our results indicate that the climate envelopes of palsa mires are narrow. Thus, they can be expected to be extremely sensitive to changes in future climatic conditions.

Restoration of nutrient-rich forestry-drained peatlands poses a risk for high exports of dissolved organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus

Restoration impact of forestry-drained peatlands on runoff water quality and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nutrient export was studied. Eight catchments were included: three mesotrophic (one undrained control, two treatments), two ombrotrophic (one drained control, one treatment) and three oligotrophic catchments (one undrained control, two treatments). Three calibration years and four post-restoration years were included in the data from seven catchments, for which runoff was recorded. For one mesotrophic treatment catchment only one year of pre-restoration and two years of post-restoration water quality data is reported. Restoration was done by filling in and damming the ditches. Water samples were collected monthly-biweekly during the snow-free period; runoff was recorded continuously during the same period. Water quality was estimated for winter using ratios derived from external data. Runoff for non-recorded periods were estimated using the FEMMA model. A high impact on DOC, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) was observed in the mesotrophic catchments, and mostly no significant impact in the nutrient-poor catchments. The DOC load from one catchment exceeded 1000kg (restored-ha)-1 in the first year; increase of DOC concentration from 50 to 250mgl-1 was observed in the other mesotrophic treatment catchment. Impact on total nitrogen export of over 30kg (restored-ha)-1 was observed in one fertile catchment during the first year. An impact of over 5kg (restored-ha)-1 on ammonium export was observed in one year in the mesotrophic catchment. Impact on P export from the mesotrophic catchment was nearly 5kg P (restored-ha)-1 in the first year. The results imply that restoration of nutrient-rich forestry-drained peatlands poses significant risk for at least short term elevated loads degrading the water quality in receiving water bodies. Restoration of nutrient-poor peatlands poses a minor risk in comparison. Research is needed regarding the factors behind these risks and how to mitigate them.