Methane Production and Sulfate Reduction in Two Appalachian Peatlands

Anaerobic carbon mineralization was evaluated over a 1-year period in two Sphagnum-dominated peatlands, Big Run Bog, West Virginia, and Buckle's Bog, Maryland. In the top 35 cm of peat, mean rates of methane production, anaerobic carbon dioxide production, and sulfate reduction at Big Run Bog were 63, 406 and 146 μmol L-1 d-1, respectively, and at Buckle's Bog were 18, 486 and 104 μmol L-1 d-1. Annual anaerobic carbon mineralization to methane and carbon dioxide at Big Run Bog and Buckle's Bog was 52.8 and 57.2 mol m-2, respectively. Rates of methane production were similar to rates reported for other freshwater peatlands, but methane production accounted for only 11.7 and 2.8%, respectively, of the total anaerobic carbon mineralization at these two sites. Carbon dioxide production, resulting substantially from sulfate reduction, dominated anaerobic carbon mineralization. Considerable sulfate reduction despite low instantaneous dissolved sulfate concentrations (typically