Pyrogenic Transformation and Carbon Sequestration in Forested Bog Soils of the Middle Taiga in Northeastern European Russia
2025
Nikolay M. Gorbach | Viktor V. Startsev | Evgenia V. Yakovleva | Anton S. Mazur | Alexey A. Dymov
A comprehensive paleoecological study of a forested bog located in the middle taiga subzone of northeastern European Russia was carried out. According to the 14C radiocarbon dating and botanical composition analysis, the bog began forming 8200 calibrated years ago, evolving in three stages from grassy wetlands to its current state as a pine-Sphagnum peatland. Analysis revealed substantial carbon storage (81.4 kg m&minus:2) within the peat deposit. Macrocharcoal particles were consistently present throughout the peat deposits, demonstrating continuous fire activity across the bog&rsquo:s developing. High charcoal particle accumulation rates occurred not only during warm periods like the Holocene thermal maximum but also during colder and wetter periods. These periods include recent centuries, when high charcoal accumulation rates are likely due to increased human activity. Statistical analysis showed significant relationships between macrocharcoal content and several peat characteristics: higher charcoal levels correlated with increased soil carbon (r = 0.6), greater aromatic compounds (r = 0.8), and elevated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (r = 0.7), all with p <: 0.05. These findings highlight how fire has consistently shaped this ecosystem&rsquo:s development and carbon storage capacity over millennia, with apparent intensification during recent centuries potentially linked to anthropogenic influences on fire regimes in the boreal zone.
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