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Historical Land Use Changes and Hydrochemical Gradients In Ohio’s Sphagnum-Dominated Peatlands

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2018, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Environment and Natural Resources.
Peatlands are a type of wetland in which anoxic conditions cause low rates of decomposition, leading to the accumulation of partially decomposed plant matter – that is, peat. Although peatlands occupy only ~3% of the earth’s terrestrial surface, peat contains around one-third of the earth’s total soil organic carbon, making peatlands an important contributor to the global carbon cycle. In North America, peatlands extend south into Ohio and the central Appalachians. In my first chapter, I asses the usefulness of historical maps and literature in evaluating the current status of Ohio’s historical peat bogs. Historical sources provided useful and precise information about the location of historical sites. USGS maps from the early 1900s were helpful in estimating the extent of large sites since destroyed, but were not accurate enough to evaluate changes in area. The use of historical maps allowed the incorporation of national databases such as the National Land Cover Database and the National Wetland Inventory. In my second chapter, I examine four predictors of hydrology and hydrochemistry in Ohio’s basin bogs. Vegetation zone was a good indicator of water level, water level range, and phosphorus concentrations, while water level was the best predictor of to electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and calcium concentrations. The relationship of water level to pH and alkalinity is thought to be related to strong minerotrophic water input at the bog margin, and the dilution of organic acids by lake water near the bog center. Ecospatial zones – lagg, wooded interior, and open mat – were moderately good indicators of hydrology and hydrochemistry, and can be used to compare ecosystem function in northern peatlands with glacial peatlands at their southernmost extent. Variation in hydrology and hydrochemistry was largely explained by differences between sites, and future research should examine the drivers of between-site variation in temperate peatlands.
G. Matt Davies (Advisor)
Lauren Pintor (Committee Member)
Nicholas Basta (Committee Member)
135 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Slater, Slater, J. M. (2018). Historical Land Use Changes and Hydrochemical Gradients In Ohio’s Sphagnum-Dominated Peatlands [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1543647650696665

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Slater, Slater, Julie. Historical Land Use Changes and Hydrochemical Gradients In Ohio’s Sphagnum-Dominated Peatlands. 2018. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1543647650696665.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Slater, Slater, Julie. "Historical Land Use Changes and Hydrochemical Gradients In Ohio’s Sphagnum-Dominated Peatlands." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1543647650696665

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)