The stoichiometry of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in peat

Moore, Tim R.; Large, David; Talbot, Julie; Wang, Meng; Riley, John L.

Abstract

Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) form ~90% by mass of peat, a product of the input of plant tissues and litter and the output of decomposition under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. We examined patterns of these elements, as the O:C and H:C atomic ratios, in over 1,300 peat samples collected from over 400 profiles in Ontario, Canada, representing bogs, fens, and swamps. The overall O:C ratio decreased from the surface (0.6 to 0.7) to ~0.5 at a depth of 50 cm and showed little further change to a depth of 5 m. In contrast, the H:C ratio decreased only slightly (1.30 to 1.25) over the top 1 m and showed no further significant decline with depth. The C oxidative state (Cox) and oxidation ratio showed strong decreases and increases, respectively, with depth with most changes occurring in the top 0.5 m. The O:C ratio, and Cox and oxidation ratio values were significantly correlated with the von Post humification index, with most changes occurring in index values 1 through 4, the latter representing a slight degree of decomposition. Collation of the Ontario peats with other data sets revealed the very large range in O:C and H:C values, with a general decrease from temperate to tropical and subtropical peatlands. Estimation of the O:C and H:C ratios of input (litter) and output (mineralization to CO2, methanogenesis to CH4 and CO2, and loss as dissolved organic C) allowed an estimation of the degree of decomposition or C loss.

Citation

Moore, T. R., Large, D., Talbot, J., Wang, M., & Riley, J. L. (2018). The stoichiometry of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in peat. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 123(10), 3101-3110. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jg004574

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 10, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Sep 17, 2018
• Publication Date: Oct 2, 2018
• Deposit Date: Nov 20, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 20, 2018
• Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences
• Print ISSN: 2169-8953
• Electronic ISSN: 2169-8961
• Publisher: American Geophysical Union
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 123
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 3101-3110
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jg004574
• Keywords: Bog; Fen; Swamp; Decomposition; Wetlands
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1287634
• Publisher URL: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018JG004574