Unravelling past impacts of climate change and land management on historic peatland development using proxy-based reconstruction, monitoring data and process modelling

This research paper evaluates the accuracy of testate amoebae (TA)-based water-table depth (WTD) reconstructions by comparing them with instrumentally-monitored data and the MILLENNIA peatland model to understand the impacts of climate change and land management on peatland carbon cycling.

• The study compared TA-based WTD reconstructions against instrumentally-monitored WTD and MILLENNIA model predictions, finding that while monitored and modelled WTD agreed well, TA-reconstructed water tables were consistently deeper. A TA transfer function based on data from northern England provided a better directional fit to observed WTD than a larger European data set.
• Comparing offset-corrected TA reconstructions to MILLENNIA model predictions from 1750-1931 showed similar overall WTD patterns, including a dry period from 1965-1995. However, TA predictions underestimated WTD (appearing drier) between 1830-1930 and overestimated WTD (appearing wetter) between 1760-1830.
• Simulated grouse moor management scenarios, specifically drainage, may explain why TA WTD predictions were drier, which the model suggests leads to significant carbon losses and reduced methane emissions.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2018). Unravelling past impacts of climate change and land management on historic peatland development using proxy-based reconstruction, monitoring data and process modelling. https://www.sei.org/publications/unravelling-past-impacts-climate-change-land-management-historic-peatland-development-using-proxy-based-reconstruction-monitoring-data-process-modelling/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Unravelling past impacts of climate change and land management on historic peatland development using proxy-based reconstruction, monitoring data and process modelling. 2018. https://www.sei.org/publications/unravelling-past-impacts-climate-change-land-management-historic-peatland-development-using-proxy-based-reconstruction-monitoring-data-process-modelling/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Unravelling past impacts of climate change and land management on historic peatland development using proxy-based reconstruction, monitoring data and process modelling |date=8 May 2018 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/unravelling-past-impacts-climate-change-land-management-historic-peatland-development-using-proxy-based-reconstruction-monitoring-data-process-modelling/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2018unravelling, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Unravelling past impacts of climate change and land management on historic peatland development using proxy-based reconstruction, monitoring data and process modelling}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2018}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/unravelling-past-impacts-climate-change-land-management-historic-peatland-development-using-proxy-based-reconstruction-monitoring-data-process-modelling/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }