A 5-year study of the impact of peatland revegetation upon DOC concentrations

Qassim, Suzane; Dixon, Simon; Rowson, James; Worrall, Fred; Evans, Martin; Bonn, Aletta

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.11.014

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Despite the influence of WTD and pH on DOC, seasonal temperature changes can sometimes be more important (Koehler et al, 2009). At the restoration sites, the DOC may be derived from the above-ground biomass (Don and Kalbitz, 2005) or decomposition of bare peat (Qassim et al, 2014) following clear-felling. Therefore, it is likely the influence of the WTD and pH on DOC at the restoration sites is masked by the input of DOC from the tree litter or surface peat decomposition, particularly after dry periods.…”

Section: Restoration Impacts On Porewater Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of porewater chemistry between intact, afforested and restored raised and blanket bogs

Howson

Chapman

Shah

et al. 2021

Science of The Total Environment

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Section: Restoration Impacts On Porewater Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of porewater chemistry between intact, afforested and restored raised and blanket bogs

Howson

Chapman

Shah

et al. 2021

Science of The Total Environment

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“…Published research on the impacts of revegetation of peatland areas on DOM is limited, but Qassim et al (2014) found that pore water DOM concentrations were higher in revegetated sites compared to bare peat areas and vegetated controls over a five year period. The initial revegetation mix in this work was a nurse crop of Agrostis sp., Deschampsia flexuosa and Festuca sp.…”

Section: Re-vegetation Of Bare Peat 210mentioning

confidence: 97%

Will UK peatland restoration reduce dissolved organic matter concentrations in upland drinking water supplies?

Williamson

Evans

Spears

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Abstract. Rising dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentrations, and associated increases in water colour, have posed a potential problem for the UK water industry since the phenomenon was first reported in the early 1990s. Elevated DOM concentrations in raw water are of particular concern in upland catchments dominated by organic soils where DOM production tends to be highest. In recent years, water companies have considered the capacity for catchment interventions to improve raw water quality at source, relieving the need for costly and complex engineering solutions in treatment works, but there is considerable uncertainty around the effectiveness of these measures. One of the primary evidence gaps is the extent to which catchment management is capable of influencing DOM concentrations at the point of abstraction, field studies rarely extending beyond sub-catchment or stream scale. Our review of the published evidence suggests that catchment management could make a contribution to mitigating recent DOM increases in some circumstances, particularly where plantation forestry has been grown on peat, and where control of nutrients in runoff could reduce in-reservoir DOM production. Evidence for the efficacy of most other measures that target reductions in DOM loading for catchment to reservoir remains insufficient to support wider scale application. Collectively, these measures have the potential to reduce DOM concentrations in drinking water reservoirs but they must be selected on a site-specific basis, where the scale, effect size and duration of the catchment intervention are considered in relation to both the treatment capacity of the works and future projected DOM trends.

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“…Published research on the impacts of the revegetation of peatland areas on DOM is limited, but Qassim et al (2014) found that pore water DOM concentrations were higher at revegetated sites compared with bare peat areas and vegetated controls over a 5-year period. The initial revegetation mix in this work was a nurse crop of Agrostis sp., Deschampsia flexuosa and Festuca sp.…”

Section: Revegetation Of Bare Peatmentioning

confidence: 97%

Reviews and syntheses: Understanding the impacts of peatland catchment management on dissolved organic matter concentration and treatability

Williamson,

Evans,

Spears

et al. 2023

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. In the UK, most large reservoirs constructed for public water supply are in upland areas. Many are situated in catchments characterised by organic-rich soils, including peatlands. Although these soils naturally leach large amounts of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to water, the widespread degradation of upland peat in the UK is believed to have exacerbated rates of DOM loss. High and rising DOM concentrations in these regions raise treatment challenges for the water industry. In the UK, water companies are increasingly considering whether upland-catchment peat restoration measures can slow down or even reverse rising source water DOM concentrations and, thus, reduce the need for more costly and complex engineering solutions. There remains considerable uncertainty around the effectiveness of such measures, and a comprehensive overview of the research in this area remains lacking. Here, we review the peer-reviewed evidence of the effectiveness of four catchment management options in controlling DOM release from peat soils: ditch blocking, revegetation, reducing forest cover and cessation of managed burning. Results of plot-scale investigations into the effects of ditch blocking on DOM leaching are currently largely equivocal, while there is a paucity of information regarding impacts at spatial scales of more direct relevance to water managers. There is some, although limited, evidence that the terrestrial vegetation type may influence DOM concentrations and treatability. The presence of plantation forestry on peat soils is generally associated with elevated DOM concentrations, although reducing forest cover appears to have little short-term benefit, and associated disturbance may even increase concentrations further. Catchment management measures have rarely been monitored with downstream water quality as the focus. To mitigate the uncertainty surrounding restoration effects on DOM, measures should be undertaken on a site-specific basis, where the scale, effect size and duration of the intervention are considered in relation to subsequent biogeochemical processing that occurs in the reservoir, the treatment capacity of the water treatment works and future projected DOM trends.

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A 5-year study of the impact of peatland revegetation upon DOC concentrations

Cited by 9 publications

References 61 publications

A comparison of porewater chemistry between intact, afforested and restored raised and blanket bogs

A comparison of porewater chemistry between intact, afforested and restored raised and blanket bogs

Will UK peatland restoration reduce dissolved organic matter concentrations in upland drinking water supplies?

Reviews and syntheses: Understanding the impacts of peatland catchment management on dissolved organic matter concentration and treatability

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