The role of pipes in carbon export from peatlands

自从上一个冰河时代结束以来，大气中大量的二氧化碳以部分分解的植物残骸的形式被缓慢地锁定在世界上凉爽、潮湿的北方地区的泥炭土壤中。如果这个巨大的碳库被释放回大气层，它将导致二氧化碳的显着上升，并释放甲烷，导致进一步的全球变暖。目前，科学家们正试图解开控制地球表面这一大片区域碳的损失和增加的机制。泥炭土的厚度可达5米或更厚，其中约90%是水，是英国家庭供水公司的重要资源。虽然它已经知道，泥炭土含有大量的“管道”（天然存在的地下管或各种长度和大小的空隙），它最近被证明，他们在英国许多泥炭地出现在非常大的数量。泥炭沼泽的排水和夏季干旱时期，如1976年和1995年在北方发生的干旱，也可能促进管道的发展。由于我们对泥炭中水运动的理解往往排除管道的作用，因此研究它们在将水和碳（以各种溶解和气态形式以及作为小的水载颗粒）输送到溪流中的作用是很重要的。泥炭管道可以提供一条重要的路线，将储存在泥炭中的大量碳库与泥炭地的池塘和溪流连接起来，并可以作为碳泄漏的沿着通道。我们的目标是调查管道如何控制泥炭地的水和碳的损失。大部分研究工作将需要三年时间完成，并涉及利兹，伦敦和爱丁堡的科学家之间的合作，将在英国北奔宁山脉的摩尔屋进行，该流域已被生态和水文中心指定为碳研究流域。我们的工作将包括测量管道和溪流中流动的碳和水的浓度和数量。我们将使用技术，使我们能够确定碳被释放的年龄，从而在泥炭中的碳是来自哪里。我们工作的总体目标是帮助科学家更多地了解影响这一重要的全球碳储存的自然过程。

Since the end of the last ice age large amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide have been slowly locked up in peat soils in the cool, wet, northern regions of the world as partially decomposed plant remains. If this huge reservoir of carbon was to be released back in to the atmosphere it would cause a significant rise in carbon dioxide and release methane and result in further global warming. At the moment scientists are trying to unravel the mechanisms that control the losses and gains of carbon from this large area of the Earth's surface. Peat soils, which can be up to 5 m or more in thickness, consist of about 90 % water and are important resources for the companies that supply water to homes in the UK. Although it has been known that peat soils contain large numbers of 'pipes' (naturally occurring sub-surface tubes or voids of various lengths and sizes), it has recently been shown that they occur in extremely large numbers in many UK peatlands. Pipe development may also be encouraged by the drainage of peat bogs and also by periods of summer drought such as those which occurred in 1976 and 1995 in northern Europe. Since much of our understanding about water movement in peats tends to exclude the role of pipes, it is important to investigate the role that they play in delivering water and carbon (in various dissolved and gaseous forms and as small water-borne particles) to streams. Peat pipes could provide an important route to connect the large reservoir of carbon stored in peats to peatland pools and streams, and may act as pathways along which carbon can leak away. We aim to investigate how pipes control the loss of water and carbon from peatlands. Most of the research work, which will take three years to complete and involves collaboration between scientists in Leeds, London and Edinburgh, will be carried out at Moor House in the north Pennines, UK in a catchment that has been designated a carbon study catchment by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Our work will involve measuring the concentrations and amounts of carbon and water flowing in pipes and streams. We will use techniques that allow us to determine the age of the carbon being released and therefore where in the peat the carbon is coming from. The overall aim of our work is to help scientists to understand more about the natural processes which affect this important global store of carbon.