Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) production, consumption, and quality displayed differences after long-term (~55 years) hydrological alterations in a poor fen peatland in northern Michigan. The construction of an earthen levee resulted in areas of a raised and lowered water table (WT) relative to an unaltered intermediate WT site. The lowered WT site had greater peat aeration and larger seasonal vertical WT fluctuations that likely elevated peat decomposition and subsidence with subsequent increases in bulk density, vertical hydraulic gradient, decreased hydraulic conductivity (K_sat), and a greater pore water residence time relative to the unaltered site. The raised WT site displayed a decreased K_sat combined with seasonal upwelling events that contributed to a longer residence time in comparison to the unaltered site. These differences are potentially contributing to elevated DOC concentrations at the lowered and raised WT site relative to the unaltered site. Additionally, spectrophotometric indices and chemical constituent assays indicated that the lowered site DOC was more aromatic and contained elevated concentrations of phenolics compared to the intermediate site. The raised site DOC was less aromatic, less humified, and also had a greater phenolic content than the intermediate site. Furthermore, an incubation experiment showed that DOC in the raised site contained the greatest labile carbon source. Based on our results, long-term WT alterations will likely impose significant effects on DOC dynamics in these peatlands; however, WT position alone was not a good predictor of DOC concentrations, though impoundment appears to produce a more labile DOC whereas drainage increases DOC aromaticity.

Peatlands account for 15 to 30% of the world’s soil carbon (C) stock and are important controls over global nitrogen (N) cycles. However, C and N concentrations are known to vary among peatlands contributing to the uncertainty of global C inventories, but there are few global studies that relate peatland classification to peat chemistry. We analyzed 436 peat cores sampled in 24 countries across six continents and measured C, N, and organic matter (OM) content at three depths down to 70 cm. Sites were distinguished between northern (387) and tropical (49) peatlands and assigned to one of six distinct broadly recognized peatland categories that vary primarily along a pH gradient. Peat C and N concentrations, OM content, and C:N ratios differed significantly among peatland categories, but few differences in chemistry with depth were found within each category. Across all peatlands C and N concentrations in the 10–20 cm layer, were 440 ± 85.1 g kg^-1and 13.9 ± 7.4 g kg^-1, with an average C:N ratio of 30.1 ± 20.8. Among peatland categories, median C concentrations were highest in bogs, poor fens and tropical swamps (446–532 g kg^-1) and lowest in intermediate and extremely rich fens (375–414 g kg^-1). The C:OM ratio in peat was similar across most peatland categories, except in deeper samples from ombrotrophic tropical peat swamps that were higher than other peatlands categories. Peat N concentrations and C:N ratios varied approximately two-fold among peatland categories and N concentrations tended to be higher (and C:N lower) in intermediate fens compared with other peatland types. This study reports on a unique data set and demonstrates that differences in peat C and OM concentrations among broadly classified peatland categories are predictable, which can aid future studies that use land cover assessments to refine global peatland C and N stocks.