Is bog water chemistry affected by increasing N and S deposition from oil sands development in Northern Alberta, Canada?

Nitrogen and sulfur emissions from oil sands operations in northern Alberta, Canada have resulted in increasing deposition of N and S to the region’s ecosystems. To assess whether a changing N and S deposition regime affects bog porewater chemistry, we sampled bog porewater at sites at different distances from the oil sands industrial center from 2009 to 2012 (10-cm intervals to a depth of 1 m) and from 2009 to 2019 (top of the bog water table only). We hypothesized that: (1) as atmospheric N and S deposition increases with increasing proximity to the oil sands industrial center, surface porewater concentrations of NH4+, NO3−, DON, and SO42− would increase and (2) with increasing N and S deposition, elevated porewater concentrations of NH4+, NO3−, DON, and SO42− would be manifested increasingly deeper into the peat profile. We found weak evidence that oil sands N and S emissions affect bog porewater NH4+-N, NO3−-N, or DON concentrations. We found mixed evidence that increasing SO42− deposition results in increasing porewater SO42− concentrations. Current SO42− deposition, especially at bogs closest to the oil sands industrial center, likely exceeds the ability of the Sphagnum moss layer to retain S through net primary production, such that atmospherically deposited SO42− infiltrates downward into the peat column. Increasing porewater SO42− availability may stimulate dissimilatory sulfate reduction and/or inhibit CH4 production, potentially affecting carbon cycling and gaseous fluxes in these bogs.

The Diversity and Composition of Assemblages of Water Beetles (Gyrinidae, Dytiscidae, Hydrophilidae) in a Peat Bog in Belarus

The diversity and species composition of the water beetles in peat bog lakes, streams and hollows in Belarus were studied. In total, 45 species of water beetles belonging to 3 families (Gyrinidae, Dytiscidae, Hydrophilidae) were sampled by entomological net. Hydroporus tristis, Ilybius aenescens, Enochrus affinis, and E. ochropterus are the most abundant species A rather high diversity was recorded (Shannon-Wienner diversity index H′ = 2.037–2.912). Shannon-Wienner indexes indicated higher values in the lakes, whereas the lowest values in the hollows were recorded. In addition, in hollows water beetle species composition was the most different from the other peat bog water bodies.

Verification of temperature and humidity conditions of mineral soils in the active layer model

<p>Detailed monitoring of the temperature of the soil layer provides a unique experimental material for studying the complex processes of heat transfer from the surface layer of the atmosphere to soils. According to the data of autonomous devices of air temperature, it was found that within each key area there are no significant differences between the observation sits. According to the annual (2011-2018) observations of the temperature regime of the soil and ground, it has been found that the microclimatic specificity of bog ecosystems is clearly manifested in the characteristics of the daily and annual variations in soil temperature. A regression model describing the change in the maximum freezing depth during the winter has been proposed, using air temperature, snow depth and bog water level as predictors. The effects of BWL and snow cover have similar values, which indicates an approximately equal contribution of BWL variations and snow depth to changes in freezing. The thickness of the seasonally frozen layer at all sites is 20-60 cm and the maximum freezing of the peat layer is reached in February-March. Degradation of the seasonally frozen layer occurs both from above and below.</p><p>It was found that similar bog ecosystems in different bog massifs have significantly different temperature regimes. The peat stratum of northern bogs can be both warmer (in winter) and colder (in summer) in comparison with bogs, located 520 km to the south and 860 km to the west.</p>

The Vasyugan Bog North-Eastern Part Hydro/chemical Regime Specific Features between the Bakchar and Iksa Rivers (Western Siberia)

Analysis of the hydro/chemical regime and spatial regularities of the water composition changes in the Vasyugan Bog North-Eastern part between the Bakchar and Iksa rivers is presented. It has been noted that the chemical composition transformation with water class, group and type during the year is a special feature of the high bog hydro/chemical regime. Within the bog limits three clusters have been identified by bog waters chemical composition characteristics on the basis of the cluster analysis. Reliable differences between the tree clusters have been determined by the mineralization amount, Са2+, Mg2+, Feобщ, NH4 +, NO3 - ions, humic and fulvene acids, Сорг and СО2 content. Analysis of the seasonal indices has demonstrated that during the vegetation period two significant maximal peaks of the bog water seasonal wave of chemical composition occur, namely in March and September. It has been noted that that the near-ground air temperature sum increase more than 10 ºС is accompanied by the pH increase in the high bog water, increase of СО2, ammonia, sulphate, iron ions, and organic matter (humic and fulvene acids, Сорг).

Drainage Impact on Plant Cover and Hydrology of Aukštumala Raised Bog (Western Lithuania)

One-third of the former Aukstumala raised bog (western Lithuania) has been preserved as Telmological Reserve since 1995, while the remaining territory is still under active industrial peat mining or are abandoned peat harvesting fields. The present study was carried out in 2013 and aimed to assess long-term human impact on the structure of plant cover and hydrology of Aukstumala raised bog. On the basis of vegetation assessment (Twinspan analysis), four habitat types were identified: i) active raised bog, ii) degraded raised bog drained by ditches, iii) contact zone of the bog and the peat mining fields and iv) recently burnt areas. The largest anthropogenic impact on vegetation cover was found in the degraded raised bog drained by the ditches and in the burnt area, where the proportion of plant species atypical to ombrotrophic raised bogs was the highest. Water electrical conductivity negatively correlated (r = -0.57) with bog water level, whereas correlation between pH and bog water level was weaker (r = -0.38). Water level in the active raised bog was significantly higher than in the rest three habitat types. Electrical conductivity values in the active raised bog were significantly lower compared to the degraded raised bog and burned area habitats. In order to recreate favourable conditions for peat accumulation and natural functioning of bog ecosystem, mean bog water level should be raised at least up to -32 cm (the optimum water level assigned for most of the typical ombrotrophic species fell into the range of -20 - -32 cm).

Many-year Fluctuations of River Runoff in South-taiga Subzone of the Western Siberia

A detailed analysis of river flow long-term changes in the Southern taiga subzone of Western Siberia has been carried out with the Chaya River basin as an example. Causal statistical analysis of changes in groundwater levels, bog water level, air temperature and atmospheric precipitation has been performed. The conducted studies revealed a statistically significant trend in the increase of surface runoff in the winter low flow of the Chaya River and its large tributaries (the Iksa and the Parbig), as well as the underground runoff component for virtually the entire year. An ambiguous regularity has been observed in the change of the level regime of rivers. The main reason for the observed changes in the water regime of the said territory is the redistribution of atmospheric moisture and shifting of the boundaries of hydrological seasons.

Postharvest Handling and Storage of Fresh Cranberries

High-quality cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) fruit are required to fulfil the growing markets for fresh fruit. Storage losses of fresh cranberries are primarily the result of decay and physiological breakdown. Maximizing quality and storage life of fresh cranberries starts in the field with good cultural practices. Proper fertility, pest management, pruning, and sanitation all contribute to the quality and longevity of the fruit. Mechanical damage in the form of bruising must be minimized during harvesting and postharvest handling, including storage, grading, and packaging. In addition, water-harvested fruit should be removed promptly from the bog water. Following harvest, fruit should be cooled quickly to an optimum storage temperature of between 2 and 5 °C (35.6 and 41.0 °F). The development of improved handling, refined storage conditions, and new postharvest treatments hold promise to extend the storage life of fresh cranberries.