ABSTRACT
Studies at the Marcell Experimental Forest (MEF) have measured the pools, cycling, and transport of a variety of elements in both the upland and peatland components of the landscape. Peatlands are important zones of element retention and biogeochemical reactions that greatly in˜uence the chemistry of surface water. In this chapter, we summarize ndings on nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), carbon (C), major cations, and other biogeochemically important elements in uplands and peatlands. We have organized this chapter to describe processes that affect the transport and storage of elements in watersheds. First, we address a primary route for entry into ecosystems, atmospheric deposition. We then describe compositional changes as water passes through canopies in upland forests before water and solutes inltrate soils. We also track changes in chemistry as precipitation inltrates organic soils in bogs, upland runoff passes into the laggs that surround bogs, and groundwater
CONTENTS
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 213 Atmospheric Deposition .................................................................................... 214 Processing of Elements in the Uplands of the MEF Watersheds .................. 217 Processing of Elements in the MEF Peatlands ................................................ 219
Element Export from the MEF Peatlands ................................................... 219 Concentrations in Out˜ow ....................................................................... 219 Variations among Wetland Types ............................................................225 Element Budgets ........................................................................................ 226
Element Cycling within the MEF Peatlands...............................................228 Nitrogen ......................................................................................................228 Sulfur ...........................................................................................................230
