Identification of peat type and humification by laboratory VNIR/SWIR hyperspectral imaging of peat profiles with focus on fen-bog transition in aapa mires

Aims Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has high potential for analysing peat cores, but methodologies are deficient. We aimed for robust peat type classification and humification estimation. We also explored other factors affecting peat spectral properties. Methods We used two laboratory setups: VNIR (visible to near-infrared) and SWIR (shortwave infrared) for high resolution imaging of intact peat profiles with fen-bog transitions. Peat types were classified with support vector machines, indices were developed for von Post estimation, and K-means clustering was used to analyse stratigraphic patterns in peat quality. With separate experiments, we studied spectral effects of drying and oxidation. Results Despite major effects, oxidation and water content did not impede robust HSI classification. The accuracy between Carex peat and Sphagnum peat in validation was 80% with VNIR and 81% with SWIR data. The spectral humification indices had accuracies of 82% with VNIR and 56%. Stratigraphic HSI patterns revealed that 36% of peat layer shifts were inclined by over 20 degrees. Spectral indices were used to extrapolate visualisations of element concentrations. Conclusions HSI provided reliable information of basic peat quality and was useful in visual mapping, that can guide sampling for other analyses. HSI can manage large amounts of samples to widen the scope of detailed analysis beyond single profiles and it has wide potential in peat research beyond the exploratory scope of this paper. We were able to confirm the capacity of HSI to reveal shifts of peat quality, connected to ecosystem-scale change.