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An Atlantic blanket bog is a modest CO 2 sink
Author(s) -
Sottocornola Matteo,
Kiely Ger
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl024731
Subject(s) - bog , peat , eddy covariance , boreal , sink (geography) , subarctic climate , environmental science , evapotranspiration , hydrology (agriculture) , carbon sink , blanket , atmospheric sciences , ecosystem , geology , oceanography , climate change , ecology , geography , cartography , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , biology , paleontology
Northern peatlands contain 1/3 of the world's soil carbon pool. Blanket bogs are peatlands that occur in maritime regions where precipitation is much greater than evapotranspiration. The role of blanket bogs in C dynamics has not been quantified. We describe an investigation of CO 2 fluxes using an eddy covariance (EC) system in a pristine Atlantic blanket bog in Ireland during 2003 and 2004. This is the first multiyear study using EC techniques in a blanket bog. We found that the bog ecosystem was a CO 2 sink for five months in each year. The annual CO 2 flux had a sink magnitude of −49 (2003) and −61 g C m −2 (2004). These magnitudes are similar to boreal raised bogs, while higher values have been reported for boreal fens and lower for subarctic fens.