Peat deposits are a natural environmental archive where temperature and bog surface wetness can be reconstructed by analysis of humification, microfossils such as pollen, testate amoebae and plant macrofossils. Variations in peat δ13C that are related either to mechanisms of CO2 uptake by Sphagnum or the carbon composition of peat are used for palaeohydrology and climatic reconstructions.
The current MSc thesis will focus on plant macrofossils from peat and permafrost peat plateau at Iskoras & Aidejavri, Finnmark.
Methods and aims of the study are twofold:
- plant macrofossils will be analyzed to document the local vegetation development at the site in response to environmental change.
- carbon isotope composition and C and N content of bulk peat organic matter and/or selected plant tissues will be used to evaluate the degree of preservation/decomposition of the organic matter in the peat profile.
Peat material from Finnmark for the current study is available from collections during previous years but additional peat sections can be sampled during the next field work season 2027.