Model of CO2 exchange in a sphagnum peat bog

A simple model was developed to describe the dependence of net CO2 exchange in a sphagnum peat bog as a function of incoming solar radiation, air temperature, and soil moisture. It was parameterized using the field measurement data from two neighboring sites in an undisturbed peat bog (the pine mire with shrub and sphagnum and the shrub-sphagnum mire with rare pine) in Moscow Region. Measurements were conducted during the second part of the growing season, when the groundwater level was below 30 cm. It was shown that is a key parameter influencing the photosynthesis and respiration rates of a sphagnum moss and peat soil. The developed model allows to explain from 71 % to 74 % of the variation of CO2 exchange in the peat bog.