The distribution of peatland in Europe
This paper derives the distribution of peatland in Europe as the extent of peat and peat-topped soils indicated by soil databases. The data sources were the 1:1,000,000 European Soil Database (v1.0) and a data set of organic carbon content (%) for the topsoils of Europe at 1km x 1km resolution that...
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International Mire Conservation Group and International Peat Society
2006-01-01
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doaj-f0ddfb99b6b740f396f92cbdc56d215d2020-11-25T02:06:27ZengInternational Mire Conservation Group and International Peat SocietyMires and Peat1819-754X2006-01-01101110The distribution of peatland in EuropeR. HiedererR.J.A. JonesL. MontanarellaL. MontanarellaR.J.A. JonesR. HiedererThis paper derives the distribution of peatland in Europe as the extent of peat and peat-topped soils indicated by soil databases. The data sources were the 1:1,000,000 European Soil Database (v1.0) and a data set of organic carbon content (%) for the topsoils of Europe at 1km x 1km resolution that was recently published in map form. The strong influences of vegetation and land use on soil organic carbon (OC) content were taken into account in computing the 1km (OC) data set, as was the influence of temperature. The areas of peat and peat-topped soils estimated from the European Soil Database are generally in close agreement with those obtained using the Map of OC in Topsoils of Europe. The results reveal a strong northern bias in the distribution of organic soils across Europe. Almost one-third of the European peatland resource is in Finland, and more than a quarter is in Sweden. The remainder is in Poland, the UK, Norway, Germany, Ireland, Estonia, Latvia, The Netherlands and France. Small areas of peat and peat-topped soils also occur in Lithuania, Hungary, Denmark and the Czech Republic. For most European countries, the distribution of peat and peat-topped soils is probably more accurately portrayed by the Map of OC in Topsoils of Europe than by the European Soil Map and Database. Such baseline data are important for the conservation of peat and for making much more precise estimates of carbon stocks in topsoil than have been possible hitherto. The results are also relevant to the planning of effective soil protection measures at European level.http://mires-and-peat.net/pages/volumes/map01/map0101.phphistosolorganic carbonpeat distributionsoil databases |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
R. Hiederer R.J.A. Jones L. Montanarella L. Montanarella R.J.A. Jones R. Hiederer |
spellingShingle |
R. Hiederer R.J.A. Jones L. Montanarella L. Montanarella R.J.A. Jones R. Hiederer The distribution of peatland in Europe Mires and Peat histosol organic carbon peat distribution soil databases |
author_facet |
R. Hiederer R.J.A. Jones L. Montanarella L. Montanarella R.J.A. Jones R. Hiederer |
author_sort |
R. Hiederer |
title |
The distribution of peatland in Europe |
title_short |
The distribution of peatland in Europe |
title_full |
The distribution of peatland in Europe |
title_fullStr |
The distribution of peatland in Europe |
title_full_unstemmed |
The distribution of peatland in Europe |
title_sort |
distribution of peatland in europe |
publisher |
International Mire Conservation Group and International Peat Society |
series |
Mires and Peat |
issn |
1819-754X |
publishDate |
2006-01-01 |
description |
This paper derives the distribution of peatland in Europe as the extent of peat and peat-topped soils indicated by soil databases. The data sources were the 1:1,000,000 European Soil Database (v1.0) and a data set of organic carbon content (%) for the topsoils of Europe at 1km x 1km resolution that was recently published in map form. The strong influences of vegetation and land use on soil organic carbon (OC) content were taken into account in computing the 1km (OC) data set, as was the influence of temperature. The areas of peat and peat-topped soils estimated from the European Soil Database are generally in close agreement with those obtained using the Map of OC in Topsoils of Europe. The results reveal a strong northern bias in the distribution of organic soils across Europe. Almost one-third of the European peatland resource is in Finland, and more than a quarter is in Sweden. The remainder is in Poland, the UK, Norway, Germany, Ireland, Estonia, Latvia, The Netherlands and France. Small areas of peat and peat-topped soils also occur in Lithuania, Hungary, Denmark and the Czech Republic. For most European countries, the distribution of peat and peat-topped soils is probably more accurately portrayed by the Map of OC in Topsoils of Europe than by the European Soil Map and Database. Such baseline data are important for the conservation of peat and for making much more precise estimates of carbon stocks in topsoil than have been possible hitherto. The results are also relevant to the planning of effective soil protection measures at European level. |
topic |
histosol organic carbon peat distribution soil databases |
url |
http://mires-and-peat.net/pages/volumes/map01/map0101.php |
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