Carbon Dynamics in a Forested Peatland in North-Eastern Ontario, Canada

The long-term carbon accumulation rate in a forested peatland in north-east Ontario was examined in relation to gas production and factors which control carbon transport. Plots of cumulative total mass and cumulative carbon mass against calibrated radiocarbon age estimates when applied to an existing model of peat accumulation, suggest that only very slow decay is occurring within the catotelm. Gas samples collected from depth show that both carbon dioxide and methane are present. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon analysis yields age estimates of both gases which are between 500 and 2000 years younger than conventional age estimates on adjacent peat (...)