For Peat’s Sake Project

FOR PEAT’S SAKE – Experiments on site (method)

Walk to your location and familiarise yourself with where you are on the map.
Take a GPS reading. Put all your results on the Field Record Sheet.

  1. Peat Depth

Introduction/ Rationale

Peat is made as plants die and fall over in wet, acid conditions. In these conditions the organic matter does not rot and lose its carbon into the atmosphere, but stays locked up and out of circulation. The deeper the layers of peat, the more carbon there is locked up in it. Because things do not rot in these conditions it is possible to look at the layers in the peat and work out what has been growing around here over many centuries..

Apparatus and Materials

  1. Peat auger
  2. Lengths of white guttering (numbered)
  3. Measuring tape
  4. Camera

Method

1.Drill the auger 1m into the ground.

2.Remove it and scoop the first metre of peat out onto the first piece of white guttering.

3. Connect an extra rodand drill it back down the same hole.

4.Remove it and scoop out the second metre of peat onto the second piece of white guttering.

5.Keep repeating this until you can’t go any further (You will either hit the bottom or run out of rods for the auger.) Use a measuring tape to measure how deep the peat was. Record this.

7. Take careful photographs of the whole length.

  1. Vegetation survey

Apparatus and Materials

1.Frame quadrat

2.Random number tables

3.Plant identification sheet

Method

  1. Lay out a 10m piece of string from the peat coring site and then imagine that is one side of a 10 x 10 metre square.
  2. Each group takes one of the numbers in the top row of the random number tables and using it as a pair of co-ordinates goes to that point in the imaginary square. (e.g. 79 would mean going 7 metres along the piece of strong and then 9 metres off to the left at right angles to it.)
  3. Place the quadrat with one corner lying over the point your coordinates have brought you to. Use the random number tables again to give you the co-ordinates of 10 random points within the quadrat. At each point, record the first plant which a vertical stick would touch if it descended straight down from above and touched the ground.

See diagram to help. You would record just the one
plant shaded grey.

Tally them on the field record sheet.

Record presence/absence in your quadrat for the other listed plant species.

Estimate the percentage of bare ground (if any) within the 10 metres square.

  1. Soil Temperature and Air Temperature

Use thepH meter/thermometer to measure soil temperature.
Record your results

  1. Soil pH – see separate sheet (purple)
  1. Soil Moisture (in the field)

Apparatus and Materials

1.Measuring cylinder (500ml).

2.Funnel for the above.

3.Resealable polythene bags (must be watertight).

Method 1

Finger test, subjective scale 1 (bone dry) – 5 (soaking wet).

Method 2
1.Take a loose handful of peat and squeeze as much water as possible from it into a measuring cylinder. Record it on your field record sheet. Repeat three times. (What are the limitations of this method?)
2.Take a reasonable sample of peat about 500 ml (about 3 double handfuls), seal it in a plastic bag/container and take it back to school for the soil moisture test. Some of the same sample can be used for the organic content measurement.

  1. Soil Moisture (back at school) – see separate sheet (green)
  2. Soil Carbon Content (back at school) – see separate sheet (green)
  1. Measure nitrates and phosphates

Nitrates

Apparatus and materials

Nitrate Palintest® kit

Method

  1. Fill test block tube to the mark
  2. Add one Nitrate No 1 tablet, cap tube and shake to disintegrate the tablet
  3. Add one Nitrate No 2 tablet, cap tube and shake vigorously for exactly one minute.
  4. Leave to stand for 5 minutes (without disturbing it)
  5. Take the test reading

Phosphates

Apparatus and materials

  1. Test tube
  2. Phosphate HR Palintest® kit

Method

  1. Fill test tube to 10 ml mark
  2. Add one Phosphate HR tablet, crush and dissolve
  3. Leave to stand for 10 minutes
  4. Take the test reading
  1. Water table

Introduction/ Rationale

Carbon balance of peatlands is very delicate and depends mainly on the water table. In healthy wetlands, the water table should be close to the surface to maintain active sequestration (carbon sink). If the water table drops then air gets into the peat and decomposition starts (carbon source).

Apparatus and Materials

1.Metre rule

2.Towel to dry the above

3.Umbrella if it is raining

4.Plastic pipe to make a dip well (see diagram below).

Method

Measure the distance (in mm) between the surface of the water and the level of the ground. Record it on your field record sheet. See diagram below.

Repeat for all three dip wells.

Follow up

We would also like you to tell us how you got on at school helping to raise other people's understanding of the importance of peat. So take lots of pictures and record your thoughts while you enjoy your day out on the beautiful wetland landscape near your school.

Thank you for helping us with this project

Based on materials produced for the MICCI project by PeakDistrictNational Park education service