Abstract
Raised mires are ecosystems in which waterlogged peat accumulates above the level of the surrounding stream system. It has been suggested that waterlogging is maintained by matric forces, but a model involving impeded drainage is in better accord with the structure of the peat and with basic tenets of soil physics. At one site from which enough hydrological and soil physical data are available to conduct a preliminary test, the elliptical shape and proportions of the mire surface profile are in agreement with this model.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ganong, W. F. H. Bot. Gaz. 16, 123–126 (1891).
Früh, J. & Schröter, C. Beitr. Geol Schweiz. geotech. Ser. 3, 12–13 (1904).
Moore, P. D. & Bellamy, D. J. Peatlands, 10–37; 185–188 (Elek, London, 1973).
Kivinen, E. & Pakarinen, P. Ann. Acad. sci. fenn. AIII, 1–28 (1981).
Eggelsmann, R. & Schuch, M. in Moor- und Torfkunde (ed. Göttlich, K.) 153 (Schweizer-bart'sche, Stuttgart, 1976).
Moore, P. D. & Bellamy, D. J. Peatlands, 18 (Elek, London, 1973).
Gosselink, J. G. & Turner, R. E. in Freshwater Wetlands (eds Good, R. E., Whigham, D. F. & Simpson, R. L.)73 (Academic, New York, 1978).
Granlund, E. Sver. geol. Unders. Afh. C(373) 16–20 (1932).
Romanov, V. V. Hydrophysics of Bogs (transl. Kaner, N.) 44–59, 69 (Israel Programme, Jerusalem, 1968).
Hillel, D. Soil and Water: Physical Principles and Processes, 185–186 (Academic, New York, 1971).
Burghardt, W. Geol. Jb. F4, 85–86 (1977).
Ingram, H. A. P. J. soil Sci. 29, 224–227 (1978).
Lopatin, V. D. Vest, leningr. gos. Univ. 2, 45–46 (1949).
Ivanov, K. E. Gidrologiya bolot. 160–161 (Gidrometeoizadat, Leningrad, 1953).
Ivanov, K. E. Water Movement in Mirelands (transls Thomson, A. & Ingram, H. A. P.) 57–60 (Academic, London,1981).
Romanov, V. V. Hydrophysics of Bogs (transl. Kaner, N.) 21–22 (Israel Programme, Jerusalem, 1968).
Hooghoudt, S. B. Trans. 4th int. Congr. soil Sci. Amsterdam 2, 31–34 (1950).
Ivanov, K. E. Water Movement in Mirelands (transls Thomson, A. & Ingram, H. A. P.) 59 (Academic, London, 1981).
Luthin, J. N. Drainage Engineering, 151 (Wiley, New York, 1966).
Marino, M. A. Wat. Sci. Engng Pap., Univ. Calif., Davis (2004), 1 (1975).
Marino, M. A. J. Hydrol. Amsterdam 22, 295–301 (1974).
Polubarinova-Kochina, P. Ya. Theory of Groundwater Movement (transl. de Wiest, J. M. R.) 281–282 (Princeton University Press, 1962).
Childs, E. C. An Introduction to the Physical Principles of Soil Water Phenomena, 338–340, 406–408 (Wiley, London, 1969).
Ratcliffe, D. A. A Nature Conservation Review Vol. 2, 237 (Cambridge University Press, 1977).
Rycroft, D. W. thesis, Univ. Dundee (1971).
Mott, P. J. thesis, Univ. Dundee (1973).
Ingram, H. A. P., Rycroft, D. W. & Williams, D. J. A. J. Hydrol. Amsterdam 22, 213–218 (1974).
Rycroft, D. W., Williams, D. J. A. & Ingram, H. A. P. J. Ecol. 63, 557–568 (1975).
Rycroft, D. W., Williams, D. J. A. & Ingram, H. A. P. J. Ecol. 63, 540–542 (1975).
Bormann, F. H. & Likens, G. E. Pattern and Process in a Forested Ecosystem (Springer, New York, 1979).
Weber, C. A. Bot. Jb., Beibl. 90, 22 (1908).
Baden, W. & Eggelsmann, R. Z. KultTech. Flurberein. 4, 240 (1963).
Granlund, E. Sver. geol. Unders. Afh. C(373) 60–70, 174–175 (1932).
Eggelsmann, R. & Schuch, M. in Moor- und Torfkunde (ed. Göttlich, K.) 153–154 (Schweizerbart'sche, Stuttgart, 1976).
Aartolahti, T. Fennia 93, 31–32, 47–49, 169–170, 177–178 (1965).
Aaby, B. Nature 263, 281–284 (1976).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ingram, H. Size and shape in raised mire ecosystems: a geophysical model. Nature 297, 300–303 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/297300a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/297300a0
This article is cited by
-
A unified explanation for the morphology of raised peatlands
Nature (2024)
-
Autumn destabilization of deep porewater CO2 store in a northern peatland driven by turbulent diffusion
Nature Communications (2021)
-
Biotic and Abiotic Drivers of Peatland Growth and Microtopography: A Model Demonstration
Ecosystems (2018)
-
Age, extent and carbon storage of the central Congo Basin peatland complex
Nature (2017)
-
The influence of climate on peatland extent in Western Siberia since the Last Glacial Maximum
Scientific Reports (2016)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.