Erosional Processes and Sediment Transport in Upland Mires

Blanket peatlands occur globally, are areally extensive and can be the dominant land-cover type defining the sediment cascade across entire ranges of hills and plateaux. Blanket peatlands within the UK contain 15% of the total global area of this cover type, but in the UK and Ireland they are, uniquely, extensively eroded. Peatland erosion mobilizes large stores of organic sediment, dramatically increases drainage density, and increases the efficiency of slope-channel linkage within the sediment cascade. Peatlands are climatically determined landforms, and therefore the significant climate changes predicted for the next century will cause climatic stress to wide areas of global peatlands. Although there has been considerable work on the potential effects of these changes on biological and chemical cycling, particularly of carbon in peatlands, the potential changes associated with physical instability have not yet been sufficiently considered. Predicting the impact of peatland destruction on the sediment cascade is an important challenge. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.