US-Ireland Cooperative Science: The Formation and Development of Peatlands in Ireland

目标：在北极南部边缘的海洋地区，曾经支持森林的大片坡地上出现了毛毯沼泽。毛毯沼泽的典型地区是不列颠群岛的高地，特别是爱尔兰的西部沿海地区，那里的毛毯泥炭覆盖着各种各样的基质。通过这些毛毯沼泽修建的许多道路，沿着覆盖数公里的地形层序，提供了泥炭和下面的矿物土壤的独特横截面轮廓。对这种层序的研究将允许通过坡基附近的排水阻抗来确定毯状泥炭是同时在整个坡面上起源，还是逐渐上坡。在爱尔兰的实地工作将与三一学院的教员密切合作，他们对爱尔兰泥炭地有丰富的经验。全新世气候变化对这些泥炭地的形成、发育和稳定性的影响将沿着地形序列进行检验，在地形序列中，变化的坡度、土壤和水文的局部影响可能与气候的更区域性影响区分开来。特别是，将研究泥炭生长与史前森林砍伐之间的关系，以及泥炭侵蚀与人类干扰之间的关系。美国研究人员保罗·H·格拉泽博士和赫伯特·E·赖特博士将与都柏林三一学院的W·A·瓦茨博士和保罗·道丁博士合作进行这项研究。相关性：美国-爱尔兰合作科学计划的目标是促进互惠互利的研究合作，使美国科学家能够利用特殊的研究机会。这一奖项实现了这一目标，使格拉泽博士和赖特博士能够与具有互补专业知识的爱尔兰科学家合作两年。优点：拟议的研究很有可能对科学知识做出重大贡献。首席调查人员是受人尊敬、多产的科学家，他们将与该领域的其他国际专家合作。工作计划合理，预算合理。资金：该奖项不会与其他资金重复。

Objective: In maritime regions at the southern edge of the Arctic, blanket bogs have grown over large areas of sloping terrain that once supported forests. The classic locality for blanket bogs are the highlands of the British Isles, especially the western coastal region of Ireland, where blanket peats cover a diversity of substrates. The numerous roads that have been built through these blanket bogs provide a unique cross-sectional profile of the peat and underlying mineral soil along toposequences covering many kilometers. The study of such sequences will allow the determination of whether the blanket peat originated simultaneously over the entire slope or progressively upslope by drainage impedance near the base of the slope. Field work in Ireland will be conducted in close cooperation with faculty from Trinity College, who have extensive experience with Irish peatlands. The effect of Holocene climatic changes on the formation, development, and stability of these peatlands will be examined along toposequences where the local effects of changing slope, soil, and hydrology may be distinguished from the more regional influence of climate. In particular the relation of peat growth to prehistoric forest clearance will be studied, as well as the relationship of peat erosion to human disturbance over time. The U.S. investigators Dr. Paul H. Glaser and Dr. Herbert E. Wright will collaborate in this research with Dr. W.A. Watts and Dr. Paul Dowding of Trinity College, Dublin. Relevance: It is the objective of the U.S.-Ireland Cooperative Science Program to promote mutually beneficial research cooperation and to enable U.S. scientists to take advantage of special research opportunities. This award fulfills that objective by enabling Dr. Glaser and Dr. Wright to spend two years in collaboration with Irish scientists with complementary expertise. Merit: There is an excellent prospect that the proposed research will result in a significant contribution to scientific knowledge. The principal investigators are respected, productive scientists, who will be working with other international experts in this field. The work plan is sound and the budget is reasonable. Funding: This award will not duplicate other funding.