Project Details
Description
0510370 0510545 0510004
Slater Glaser Reeve
Biogenic gas emission from northern peatlands, by wicking from vascular plants and by
episodic ebullition events, accounts for approximately 7% of the global annual emission
of methane to the atmosphere. This proposal involves experiments to apply ground
penetrating radar (GPR) for (1) estimating the amount of biogenic gas stored in peatlands,
(2) determining the spatial distribution of biogenic gas within the peat, and (3)
monitoring biogenic gas release to the atmosphere. Data from a large northern peatland in
Maine (EAR-0242353) show that (1) higher CH4 and CO2 concentrations correlate with
high velocity/high attenuation zones in cross-borehole GPR data as well as shadow zones
(loss of reflections) in surface GPR data, (2) shadow zones (indicative of high gas
content) are frequently observed in the +11 km of surface GPR data collected in this
peatland. The experimental objectives are: (1) a laboratory evaluation of the relationship
between dielectric permittivity and gas content for a profile of peat cores from the surface
to the mineral soil; (2) a cross-hole GPR and surface GPR monitoring experiment,
supported by measurements of water levels, hydraulic conductivity and time domain
reflectometry, to observe rates of biogenic gas release to the atmosphere; (3) a surface
GPR study, supported by in situ measurements of biogenic gas concentration, to estimate
the volume of biogenic gas stored in two well studied northern peatlands (Caribou Bog,
ME and Glacial Lake Agassiz, MN). Important milestones include (a) a predictive
equation for gas content estimation in peat as a function of depth from dielectric
permittivity measurements, (b) new insight into the temporal pattern of gas release and
ebullition flux from peatlands, and (c) new estimates of the free gas content of peatland
carbon reservoirs accounting for the spatial/depth distribution of the gas.
Broader Impacts
This proposal incorporates educational activities, curriculum development, community
outreach and international collaboration within an applied research framework. Honors
UnderGraduate (HUG) researchers from the Rutgers-Newark Honors College (HC) will
partner with a postdoctoral scientist to obtain the research training required to complete
four of the primary research tasks. Each HUG will complete a yearlong senior project on
their research and contribute to a publication. The status of Rutgers-Newark as the topranked
National US University with respect to campus UG diversity facilitates HUG
opportunities to minority students. Students in Earth/Environmental Sciences at Rutgers-
Newark frequently express interest in fieldwork experiences. Part of the fieldwork will be
conducted by students participating in a new class, Summer Field Camp in Applied
Geophysics, developed as part of this project. Community outreach will occur via guided
tours, poster boards and presentations on the hydrology, ecology and carbon cycle in
Caribou Bog, facilitated by the recently opened 2 km long Orono boardwalk that now
provides public access to this bog. Finally, collaboration with a prominent peatland
scientist in Europe will draw international attention to our work and provide an
opportunity to conduct comparative work on a unique European peat bog.
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 9/15/05 → 2/28/10 |
Funding
- National Science Foundation: $138,038.00