Quantifying spatial peat depth with seismic micronodes and the implications for carbon stock estimates

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2024-11, Vol.949, p.174769, Article 174769
• Main Authors: Muir, Jack B., Jeffery, Simon, Collins, Joe, Marks, Alice, Brake, Nathan, Nissen-Meyer, Tarje
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: carbon; carbon sinks; Carbon storage; England; environment; geophysics; Instrumentation; land use; landscapes; mosses and liverworts; peat; Peatlands; Seismology; soil carbon; Tomography
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174769

Peatlands are a major store of soil carbon, due to their high concentration of carbon-rich decayed plant material. Consequently, accurate assessment of peat volumes is important for determining land-use carbon budgets, especially in the Northern hemisphere. Determination of carbon stocks at the scale of individual peat sites has principally relied on either mechanical probing or electromagnetic geophysical methods. In this study, we investigated the use of seismic nodal instrumentation for quantifying peat depth. We used Stryde™ nodes for a deployment at the Whixall moss in Shropshire, England. We measured seismic arrival times from peat-bottom reflections, as well as dispersive surface waves to invert for a model of variable peat depth along a linear cross-section. The use of very small seismic nodes (micronodes) allows for particularly rapid deployment on challenging terrain. [Display omitted] •Miniature seismic nodes offer excellent sensing capabilities within peatlands due to their portability and low weight.•Level-set modelling of seismic refraction allows for infill of sparse direct probe measurements.•Seismic data reveals variation of peat volume estimates by +/- 20% at Whixall moss, affecting the estimate of stored carbon.