MICCI
Moorland Indicators of Climate Change Initiative
2015
Contents
1
Peat Depth .............................................................................................................................................. 4
Soil Organic Carbon................................................................................................................................. 5
Carbon Loss in Water .............................................................................................................................. 6
Vegetation............................................................................................................................................... 7
Water Tables ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Figures
Figure 1: Mean peat depth calculated from 2015 MICCI sites ............................................................... 4
Figure 2: Total Organic Carbon (TOC) measures from upland streams ....................................................... 6
Figure 3: Proportion of vegetation cover represented by different plants in 1 m2 quadrats................. 7
Tables
Table 1: Calculating the total amount of soil carbon in a given depth of peat at our sample sites. ...... 5
2
Moorland Indicators of Climate Change Initiative (MICCI) 2015
This is the eighth year that local secondary school students have been out during British Science and
Engineering week to explore UK moorlands and carry out environmental surveys in National Parks.
Between 16th and 23rd March, under the guidance of the Peak District National Park Learning and
Discovery Team, ten schools collected valuable scientific data with the aim of investigating the
interaction between moorlands and climate change. This data includes information about the site
(altitude), its hydrology (water table height and river water pH), soils (pH, soil surface water pH,
temperature, organic content, moisture content and peat depth) and vegetation.
Image 1: Measuring soil surface water pH in the Brecon Beacons National Park
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Peat Depth
Peat is formed over long periods of time as dead plants and animals (carbon rich organic matter)
slowly decay in a waterlogged environment. Peatlands are a globally important land-based carbon
store, holding carbon that could otherwise be released into the environment in other forms and
exacerbate global climate change. Peatlands are currently the UK’s largest terrestrial carbon sink so
it is important that we are able to identify if and how they are changing.
Figure 1 shows mean peat depth at nine study sites investigated in 2015 (peat depth was not
recorded at Gors Goch / Ffridd Uchaf). Deep peat (> 0.50 m) was recorded at all but two of the sites.
Shallower peat was recorded at the sites of Averhill Side within the Peak District National Park (mean
depth of 0.44 m) and Migneint within Snowdonia (mean depth of 0.21 m).
Survey sites
0.00
Mean peat depth (m)
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50
5.00
Figure 1: Mean peat depth calculated from 9 samples at sites across the Peak District (light green), Brecon
Beacons (dark green) and Snowdonia (red) National Parks. (Error bars show standard error).
In 2011 a peat depth study undertaken by the Moors for the Future science team across the
Bamford water treatment works (WTW) catchment within the Peak District found that the mean
peat depth across the catchment was 1.37 m (Walker et al. 2011). This year, five of the six Peak
District study sites recorded shallower peat depths than the Bamford water treatment works (WTW)
catchment mean. The deepest peat deposits found this year were measured at Trefil Quarry (mean
depth was 4.12 m) in the Brecon Beacons National Park by the students of Crickhowell High School.
This depth is 3-fold greater than the Bamford WTW catchment mean and is very similar to the mean
peat depth found at Trefil Quarry (4.20 m) by Brecon High School in 2014. The deepest single peat
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depth measured so far to date for MICCI in the Brecon Beacons National Park was 6.7 m at the Trefil
Quarry site in 2014.
Soil Organic Carbon
Peat soils are made up of decaying plant and animal matter and so have a high soil organic matter
(SOM) content of which approximately 50% is organic carbon, making them an important carbon
store. To investigate how much carbon our peat soils contain (which could otherwise be lost to the
environment) we can calculate the carbon content of small soil samples that were collected.
Based on the measurements provided by schools in 2015, the total amount of soil carbon contained
at the given depth of each site was calculated. Table 1 displays the Soil Organic Carbon content of all
the sites studied where this data is available.
Table 1: Calculating the total amount of soil carbon in a given depth of peat at the sample sites.
National Park
School
Site
Mean
peat
depth
(m)
Soil
organic
carbon
content
(%)
Bulk
density
(g/cm)
Total soil
carbon to a
given depth
(tonnes per
hectare)
Peak District
Honley High
Wessenden
Reservoir
0.95
27.5
0.12
312.68
Peak District
Dove Stones
Youth Rangers
Wessenden
Head
1.04
Peak District
The Long Eaton
School
Cowper Stone
1.2
0.40
0.12
5.79
Peak District
Chapel-en-le-Frith
High School
Derbyshire
Bridge
0.53
Peak District
Painsley Catholic
College
Averhill Side
0.44
46.4
0.12
243.60
Peak District
Longley Park 6th
Form College
Barbrook
Moor
2.79
Brecon
Beacons
Llangadog Home
Schooled Group
Black
Mountain
1.65
Brecon
Beacons
Crickhowell High
School
Trefil Quarry
4.14
Snowdonia
Glynllifon
Gors Goch /
Ffridd Uchaf
Snowdonia
Pentrefoelas
Migneint; Ty
Kipar
0.21
5
*Bulk density values estimated from Lindsay 2010 Peatbogs and Carbon: A critical synthesis
(http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/Peatbogs_and_carbon_tcm9-255200.pdf). If peat < 0.15 m deep = an
estimated dry bulk density of 0.06 g cm-3, > 0.15m deep = 0.12 g cm-3
Whilst this is a relatively crude method of calculating the amount of carbon stored in peat soils it
highlights that even relatively shallow deep peats (e.g. recorded at the Wessenden Reservoir site)
are carbon rich and are important carbon stores on a national and global scale.
Carbon Loss in Water
Taking water samples and analysing them for Total Organic Carbon (TOC) provides an indication of
how much carbon is escaping from our moorlands. The quality of the water is also be assessed by
measuring TOC, as removing carbon and other impurities from upland water supplies is an expensive
process for water companies.
TOC values recorded during this year’s MICCI project ranged from 3.35 mg/l at Barbrook Moor in the
Peak District to 33.35 mg/l at Dovestone, also in the Peak District.
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Total Organic Carbon (mg/l)
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Wessenden Wessenden
Reservoir
Head
Derbyshire Averhill Side
Bridge
Barbrook
Moor
Burbage
Brook
(Cowper
Stone)
Park Bank
Survey sites
Figure 2: Total Organic Carbon (TOC) measures from upland streams in the Peak District (light green) and
North York Moors (purple) National Park s during MICCI 2015.
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The amount of carbon in moorland streams depends not only on the condition of the surrounding
peat but also on the time of year and weather; less carbon is transferred in water when there is less
rain. We would expect to see variation from samples within and between sites taken on different
days after different weather events.
Vegetation
Plants are good indicators of biodiversity and environmental change. Differences in vegetation
communities can be due to climate, soil condition, air pollution, and hydrology as well as
interactions between these factors.
Variation in plant communities of the different habitat types at the Peak District, Brecon Beacons
and Snowdonia study sites can be seen in Figure 2. In the Peak District and Brecon Beacons National
Park study sites, there are three dominant vegetation groups: narrow-leaved grasses, such as wavy
hair grass; broad-leaved grasses, such as purple moor-grass; and Sphagnum moss. Sphagnum – an
important peat building species – was found in quadrats at all but one study site this year. The
vegetation community in Snowdonia differs from the other two National Parks studied with a
greater proportion of star moss, heather and sedges and a lower proportion of the two grass types.
Proportion of vegetation cover
1
Crowberry
0.9
Sphagnum
Moss
Star Moss
0.8
0.7
Heather
0.6
0.5
Bilberry
0.4
Cotton Sedge
0.3
Rushes
0.2
Sorrel
0.1
Tormentil
0
Bedstraw
B-L grass
N-L grass
National Parks
Others
Figure 3: Proportion of vegetation cover represented by different plants in 1 m2 quadrats (mean values) at all
sites monitored in 2015 in the Peak District (Wessenden Reservoir, Wessendon Head, Cowper Stone,
Derbyshire Bridge, Averhill Side and Barbrook Moor), Brecon Beacons (Black Mountain and Trefil Quarry) and
Snowdonia (Gors Goch / Ffridd Uchaf and Migneint; Ty Kipar) National Parks.
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Water Tables
The carbon balance of peatlands is very delicate and depends mainly on the water table. Water
tables fluctuate over the year. However, a functioning blanket bog should be waterlogged for much
of the year or have a water table just below the surface. High water tables prevent the peat from
decomposing. If the water table drops then air gets into the peat and decomposition starts,
changing the peat into a source of carbon. The 2015 MICCI data shows that mean water tables at
most of the sites are quite close to the surface (< 15 cm) which would be expected of healthy
moorland environments. The mean water table at Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons National
Park was above ground level, showing this site is particularly saturated.
Outcomes
It has been another successful year for MICCI. Together with the schools that took part we have
continued to explore the relationship between moorlands and climate change by studying the water,
soil and vegetation of moorlands in UK National Parks, whilst providing learning opportunities to key
rural and urban audiences, particularly young people from surrounding urban areas.
With thanks to all the schools and students that took part in MICCI 2015. Thanks also to The
Upland Research Unit at Manchester University – Professor Martin Evans – and the many staff,
volunteers and helpers without whom this project would not be possible. Moors for the Future
collated and analysed results.
Landowners
There are many sites that have been used for MICCI projects across the different National Parks, and
too many landowners to name them all, but their co-operation and encouragement has been vital to
the project's success, and we thank each and every one of them.
MICCI research support
National Park staff from the Cairngorms, Northumberland, Peak District, Brecon Beacons and
Snowdonia.
Many thanks to this year’s MICCI sponsor: National Parks UK
References
Lindsay, R. (2010) Peatbogs and Carbon: A critical synthesis
Walker, J.S., Crouch, T, and Brown, M. (2011) Peat depth and condition across the moorlands within
the Bamford water treatment works catchment. Moors for the Future Report, Edale
Allott, T.E.H., Evans, M.G., Lindsay, J.B., Agnew, C.T., Freer, J.E., Jones, A. & Parnell,M. (2009)
Water tables in Peak District Blanket Bogs. Moors for the Future Research Report 17.
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