With the current risks caused by sea level rise and increased extreme weather events, the study of natural coastal systems has never been more important. Erosion and anthropogenic forcing led to disappeared of the majority of coastal bogs in Europe. Here, we report on case study of a unique bog remnant still under influence by seawater which floats during storm floods. We investigated biogeochemical characteristics and discuss mechanisms that influence buoyancy, which is of vital importance for the conservation of the bog and can provide insights into the functioning of coastal bogs and potential consequences of future sea level rise. The studied area is characterized by a steep salinity gradient and marine clay deposits provide the 'hinge' that allows the upper peat layers to float. Our results show out that buoyancy is driven by a combination of factors: the density differences, desiccation along the edges and methane production. If the ability to float is reduced in coastal bogs, the impact of erosion and the sum of several other processes (i.e., peat decomposition, salt stress, clay sedimentation, internal eutrophication and reduced methanogenesis) can cause a shift in environmental conditions and lead to loss of this unique habitat and its characteristic species.
Mires and peatlands in general are heavily influenced by anthropogenic stressors like acidification, eutrophication, desiccation and fragmentation. Groundwater-fed mires are, in contrast to rainwater-fed mires, often well protected against desiccation due to constant groundwater discharge. Groundwater-fed mires can however be influenced by groundwater pollution such as groundwater nitrate enrichment, a threat which has received minor attention in literature. The present case study demonstrates how groundwater nitrate enrichment can affect the biogeochemical functioning and vegetation composition of groundwater-fed mires through direct nitrogen enrichment and indirect nitrate-induced sulphate mobilisation from geological deposits. Biogeochemical and ecohydrological analyses suggest that the Dutch groundwater-fed mire studied is influenced by different water sources (rainwater; groundwater of local and regional origin) with differing chemical compositions. The weakly buffered and nitrate-enriched groundwater leads, where it reaches the uppermost peat, to nitrogen enrichment, enhanced isotopic nitrogen signatures and altered the vegetation composition at the expense of characteristic species. Nitrate-induced sulphate mobilisation in the aquifer led to enhanced sulphate reduction, sulphide toxicity and elemental sulphur deposition in the mire. Despite
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