Mires and Peat

an online journal jointly published by imcg and ips

Volume 2 (2007): Article 4 

Significance of large peat blocks for river channel habitat and stream organic budgets

by S. Crowe and J. Warburton

Published online: 28.05.2007

Summary

This paper examines the significance of large peat blocks in Trout Beck, an upland gravel-bed river in northern England. An inventory was made of all in-channel peat blocks over a 1.5 km reach of the river in order to characterise the distribution of the blocks, and benthic organic matter and periphyton were sampled from the gravel around an isolated in-channel peat block over a period of four months. Three suspended sediment samplers were installed adjacent to the block to provide estimates of organic drift. At reach scale, peat blocks can be traced to local sources of river bank erosion and show strong downstream fining trends. Analysis of organic matter fluxes indicates that large amounts of peat are eroded from blocks and this substantially increases local organic drift. Microscopic analysis of organic matter particles demonstrates the overwhelming dominance of allochthonous peat in suspension (~ 75 %). Some of this is deposited locally, but in general the amount of organic matter in the drift is substantially greater than that stored in the gravel bed. Therefore, although eroded peat is abundant in the channel system, it is easily transported by the river and thus contributes little to local benthic organic matter storage.

download paper (500 kB)

Citation

Crowe, S. &  Warburton, J. (2007): Significance of large peat blocks for river channel habitat and stream organic budgets. Mires and Peat 2: Art. 4. (Online: http://www.mires-and-peat.net/map02/map_02_04.htm)

Discuss this paper

If you want to comment on this article, fill out the form below. Your comments will be edited by the journals editor and posted on the website.
This article is open for discussion until 01.06.2008.

Reviewers     

IMCG and IPS acknowledge the work of the reviewers.

Last update: 18.12.2007		www.mires-and-peat.net
Key title: Mires and Peat	ISSN 1819-754X	Abbreviated key title: Mires Peat