Influence of Drainage on Peat Organic Matter: Implications for Development, Stability, and Transformation

Abstract

The agricultural use of peatlands, the stabilization of the substrate for building or road construction or for increasing the capacity of soil to support heavy machinery for industrial activities (peat and petroleum extraction), harvesting to provide peat for energy, and the growing media and initiation of chemical processes must be preceded by drainage. As a consequence of drainage, peat underwent an irreversible conversion into moorsh (secondary transformation of the peat). The object of the study was to investigate comparatively the organic matter composition and molecular structure of humic acids (HAs) in the raised bog, fen, and peat-moorsh soils developed in various compositions of botanical cover, peat-forming species, and oxic and anoxic conditions as a result of the oscillation of ground water during drainage as well as to evaluate the vulnerability of soil organic matter (SOM) to decomposition. Drainage was shown to be the principal factor causing the various chemical compositions and physicochemical properties of HAs. Large and significant differences in chemical composition of peat and the properties of HAs were found to be related to the degree of decomposition. The HAs from drained peatlands were less chemically mature. In contrast, the HAs from fen and raised bog were found to be more mature than that of the corresponding drained peatlands. The above findings showed the distinguishable structure of HAs within the soil profile created by the plant residue biodegradation and formed in both oxic and anoxic conditions. The analytical methods of thermal analysis together with the optical densities and paramagnetic behaviour are suitable and effective tools for studying structure–property relationships characterizing the origin and formation process of HAs in various environmental conditions.

Chemical and Phytocoenological Characteristics of Two Different Slovak Peatlands

“…The concentration of the total nitrogen (Nt) on the Rudné bog is relatively low compared to the Belianske Lúky fen, ranging from 12,000-14,500 mg/kg (Table 2). These findings are consistent with Davis and Anderson [45] and Szajdak et al [46], who report high concentrations of Nt on fens and extremely low on bogs. On the Rudné bog, the concentration of Nt is fairly balanced similarly to the OC concentration in peat profile up to 50 cm.…”

Determination of cation exchange capacity and analysis of cation availability in hemic and sapric peat with different preparation and extraction methods

“…The objective of various experiment methods of soil preparation and extraction was to obtain a method of analyzing peat soil that better reflects the conditions on field. Preparation of peat soils through drying and impacting leads to changes in the peat nature to reject water and damage the structure of the peat original character (Szajdak et al, 2020). Hydrophobic peat causes changes in the physical character of the peat soil from its original condition, which is hydrophilic.…”

C:N:P stoichiometry as indicator of Histosol drainage in lowland and mountains forest ecosystem

“…Furthermore, Histosols' hydrophobicity is enhanced by poorly decomposed peat-forming plant bres (Łachacz et al 2009;Kalisz et al 2015;Glina et al 2016). Changes in peatland conditions as a result of groundwater oscillations activate the transformation of peat in moorsh, which leads to changes in its structure through the modi cation of hydrophilic properties into hydrophobic ones (Szajdak et al 2020). Changes in peat structure during wetting and drying in uences the heterogeneous distributions of microbial habitats and activity in peat soil and plays a crucial role in the emission and sequestration of CO 2 and CH 4 uxes in peatlands (Rezanezhad et al 2016).…”