Changes in peatland biogeochemistry

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My research program determines how hydrology, climate, and ecosystem structure and function interact to control biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The current focus of my program is on northern peatlands because of their potential importance in Holocene and contemporary carbon cycle, and hence climate. The 'peat' of peatlands represents a huge (~ 400 Pg C) removal of atmospheric CO2, and the anoxic decomposition of peat is a source of atmospheric CH4. Peatlands are complexly and adaptively linked to hydrology, and in northern regions permafrost. Over 30% of peatlands are located in permafrost regions. Climate predictions indicate that by 2100 an increase in active layer depth, with consequent changes in surface hydrology. Permafrost loss will alter both peatland biogeochemistry and vegetation structure but there has been little research on the heuristic links among climate, hydrology and peatland ecosystem function and structure. First order questions such as 'What is the relative importance of changes in greenhouse biogeochemistry compared to the direct affects of changes in vegetation structure of surface climate - e.g. albedo and energy partitioning?', and "Does permafrost loss affect the water borne loss of carbon?', have yet to be addressed. Simulation models lack the necessary functions to simulate these changes, and DOC export pathway has largely been ignored even though it appears to be of the same order of magnitude as the net atmospheric exchanges.