Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Surface Deformations As Indicators Of Deep Ebullition Fluxes In A Large Northern Peatland, P. H. Glaser, J. P. Chanton, P. Morin, D. O. Rosenberry, D. I. Siegel, O. Ruud, L. I. Chasar, Andrew S. Reeve

Earth Science Faculty Scholarship

Peatlands deform elastically during precipitation cycles by small (+/- 3 cm) oscillations in surface elevation. In contrast, we used a Global Positioning System network to measure larger oscillations that exceeded 20 cm over periods of 4 - 12 hours during two seasonal droughts at a bog and fen site in northern Minnesota. The second summer drought also triggered 19 depressuring cycles in an overpressured stratum under the bog site. The synchronicity between the largest surface deformations and the depressuring cycles indicates that both phenomena are produced by the episodic release of large volumes of gas from deep semi-elastic compartments confined …