Bog breathing and carbon stock assessments

The research investigates the impact of peat shrinkage and expansion, driven by water table fluctuations, on carbon stock assessments in northern England's blanket bogs. By comparing different heather management practices (burning, mowing, and uncut) and vegetation types, the study suggests that apparent carbon losses attributed to temperature-driven decomposition may actually be caused by these physical surface changes. The authors recommend the precise recording of bulk density and total peat depth to ensure accurate carbon stock estimates.

• Peat surface level changes, or "bog breathing," occur primarily due to the shrinkage and expansion of peat in response to changes in the water table.
• Observed surface peat carbon losses previously attributed to increased decomposition from rising temperatures may instead be explained by the physical effects of peat shrinkage and expansion.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2019). Bog breathing and carbon stock assessments. https://www.sei.org/publications/bog-breathing-and-carbon-stock-assessments/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Bog breathing and carbon stock assessments. 2019. https://www.sei.org/publications/bog-breathing-and-carbon-stock-assessments/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Bog breathing and carbon stock assessments |date=3 June 2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/bog-breathing-and-carbon-stock-assessments/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2019bog, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Bog breathing and carbon stock assessments}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/bog-breathing-and-carbon-stock-assessments/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }