ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Relationships between Local Climate and Hydrology in Sphagnum Mire: Implications for Palaeohydrological Studies and Ecosystem Management
Sandra Słowińska1, Michał Słowiński2, Mariusz Lamentowicz3,4,5,6
 
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1Institute of Technology and Life Sciences, Regional Research Division in Bydgoszcz,
Glinki 60, 85-174 Bydgoszcz, Poland
2Department of Geomorphology and Hydrology of Lowlands, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Kopernika 19, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
3Department of Biogeography and Palaeoecology, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences,
Adam Mickiewicz University, Dzięgielowa 27, 61-680 Poznań, Poland
4Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Ecosystem Boundaries Research Unit,
Wetlands Research Group, Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
5École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratoire des Systèmes Écologiques,
Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
6Laboratory of Soil Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, CH-2009 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
 
 
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2010;19(4):779-787
 
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ABSTRACT
We investigated: a) the hydrology of a small Sphagnum mire located in a transitional climate in Eastern Europe, and b) the relationships between the local climate and hydrology of the mire. We hypothesized that temperature is the most important factor determining water table changes in this type of peatland in an exceptional biogeographic setting. Research on the Linje mire revealed that the groundwater table was predominantly influenced by air temperature, which determines the rate of evapotranspiration, particularly in summer. Another important physical factor that significantly influences the variation in groundwater table of the mire is the permeability of the surface deposits. Moreover, the vegetation (especially Sphagnum) also has a modifying influence. Our study is the first of this kind in the young glacial area of Poland as well as in Eastern Europe. There is a need to improve precision of the study by installing automatic data loggers, as well as to intensify monitoring of the mire and its surroundings in order to obtain a better picture of the relationships between the mire and forest management in its vicinity. Furthermore, in the future we plan to extend the monitoring to hydrochemistry and microbial indicators (e.g. testate amoebae and bacteria) to use the ecosystem approach in management of this valuable site.
eISSN:2083-5906
ISSN:1230-1485
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