Effects of pipe outlet blocking on hydrological functioning in a degraded blanket peatland

Regensburg, Taco H.; Chapman, Pippa; Pilkington, Michael; Chandler, David; Evans, Martin; Holden, Joseph

doi:10.1002/hyp.14102

Cited by 7 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Considering the large diameter of head pipes, it was assumed such pipes would actively contribute to gully formation, and therefore, outflow from one head pipe in catchment T, hereafter referred to as pipe H1, was sampled to investigate the relative fluvial carbon contribution of pipe-water to streamwater. Based on 107 storm hydrographs, Regensburg et al (2021) characterized pipe H1 as ephemeral. Between August and September 2019, 68% of the pipe outlets in catchment T were blocked.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Between August and September 2019, 68% of the pipe outlets in catchment T were blocked. This represented a total of 31 pipe outlets, which were blocked with either a plug-like structure (n = 6) or a vertical screen (n = 25, including pipe H1) [for details see Regensburg et al (2021)]. On 27 September 2019, a further 20 pipe outlets were identified in two tributaries of catchment T. These tributaries had stone and wooden dams in them as part of earlier restoration activity (Regensburg et al, 2021), but none of their pipe outlets were blocked.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This represented a total of 31 pipe outlets, which were blocked with either a plug-like structure (n = 6) or a vertical screen (n = 25, including pipe H1) [for details see Regensburg et al (2021)]. On 27 September 2019, a further 20 pipe outlets were identified in two tributaries of catchment T. These tributaries had stone and wooden dams in them as part of earlier restoration activity (Regensburg et al, 2021), but none of their pipe outlets were blocked. In this article the results focus on the combined impact of pipe outlet blocking methods on POC and DOC loss from catchment T. Monitoring of the streams and pipe H1 ran from 1 December 2018 to 29 February 2020, but the data for analyses was divided into two periods: a pre-blocking period (1 December 2018-31 August 2019) and a post-blocking period (1 September 2019-29 February 2020).…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One approach to tackling piping in degrading peatland systems is to attempt to reduce sediment flux by blocking pipe outlets. To date, the impacts of pipe outlet blocking have only been studied in the context of its effects on stream and pipe hydrology (Regensburg et al, 2021). It remains unclear if pipes in more degraded blanket peatlands such as those found in the southern Pennines of England yield larger fluxes of aquatic carbon than observed in more intact blanket bog.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Aquatic carbon concentrations and fluxes in a degraded blanket peatland with piping and pipe outlet blocking

Regensburg

Holden

Pilkington

et al. 2021

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Soil piping is an important agent of erosion in many environments, including blanket peatlands. Peatland restoration that aims to reduce erosion has mainly focussed on revegetation and blocking ditches and gullies, rather than reducing erosion from natural soil pipes. However, little is known about the contribution of pipeflow to the fluvial carbon budget of degraded blanket peatlands and whether it is possible to moderate it. In a heavily degraded blanket bog, dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC), and water colour, from two catchments were compared before and after half of the pipe outlets in one catchment were blocked. One blocked pipe was monitored for discharge and water quality both pre-and post-blocking as new pipe outlets had formed around the blocked outlet. Both pre-and post-blocking, maximum concentrations of DOC and POC were markedly higher in pipe-water than stream-water, with ratios of 1.2 (pre) and 1.3 (post) for DOC, and 4.8 (pre) and 8.8 (post) for POC, rendering pipe-to-stream transfer more effective for DOC than POC due to the deposition of POC close to pipe outlets. The increase in DOC and POC flux post-blocking in both catchments was near-identical, suggesting pipe outlet blocking was ineffective in reducing fluvial carbon export from pipe networks.Extrapolation of pipe fluxes to catchment scale showed pipes potentially contribute c. 56% of DOC exported by the stream, and that more POC was produced by pipes than was exported by the stream. Our work highlights that pipes need to be considered when seeking to reduce fluvial carbon export in degraded blanket peatlands.

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Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aquatic carbon concentrations and fluxes in a degraded blanket peatland with piping and pipe outlet blocking

Regensburg

Holden

Pilkington

et al. 2021

Earth Surf Processes Landf

Self Cite

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“…Chambers et al., 1999; Smith & Bird, 2005; Shepherd et al., 2013), with the risk of pollutant run‐off to adjacent reservoirs, as well as highly variable and unpredictable longer term outcomes (C. N. R. Critchley et al., 2008; Marrs et al., 2004). The introduction of scarce or absent mire species, such as Sphagnum , is a viable alternative management tool (Shepherd et al., 2013), and there is mounting evidence for an increase in diversity along with a wide range of other benefits resulting from land management activities that focus on re‐wetting and raising water tables on upland blanket bogs (Alderson et al., 2019; Anderson, 2015; Buckler et al., 2013; Regensburg et al., 2021; Shuttleworth et al., 2019). These activities include revegetation, blocking gullies, ditches, bunds and pipes and inoculating with Sphagnum propagules.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversification of Molinia‐dominated blanket bogs using Sphagnum propagules

Pilkington

Walker

Fry

et al. 2021

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Increasing dominance by purple moor grass, Molinia caerulea (‘Molinia’) on globally rare and protected blanket bogs of the United Kingdom and the South Pennines is a growing threat to diversity and carbon storage, as well as increasing the risk of wildfire. In a trial to increase diversity using Sphagnum plugs planted on three Molinia‐dominated sites in the South Pennines, an initial rapid increase in cover of plug‐derived Sphagnum (PDS) suggested an advantage over that of naturally occurring Sphagnum colonies, the latter remaining below 1% cover throughout; subsequent plateauing of PDS cover in areas of moderate Molinia cover (<80%) was linked with drought stress, whereas declining cover in Molinia‐dense areas (>80%) suggested additional competition for light. The cover of Molinia was only weakly reduced by, and then completely recovered from, a baseline flailing treatment. Increasing cover of PDS in all of the treatments had no clear effect on the cover of Molinia. The cover of naturally occurring indicator species was strongly reduced by the baseline flailing treatment; subsequent recovery was not complete, even with contributions by PDS. There was a negative linear relationship between Molinia cover and indicator species cover, over all ranges of Molinia cover. Water table depths were lowered by PDS during the first 3 years of the trial, perhaps due to facilitated capillary conduction of water through the buried plug tissues. It was concluded that PDS can establish rapidly amongst Molinia, boosting the diversity and cover of indicator species, but that establishment is slower in areas of dense Molinia and also likely to be hampered by periods of severe drought stress. Prior flailing had no clear benefit on the growth of PDS but reduced the cover of naturally occurring indicator species. Further investigations should include the role of water stress, shading and phosphorus limitation in restricting the growth of PDS within Molinia‐dominated swards.

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