Data on air temperature, relative humidity and dew point in a boreal Sphagnum bog and an upland site (Shichengskoe mire system, North-Western Russia).

The dataset contains microclimate parameters including air temperature, relative humidity and dew point measurements from a large wetland, Shichengskoe mire system, in Vologda Region, Russia, during four vegetation periods. Data were collected in 2013-2015 and 2017 using DT-171 data loggers (Elma Instruments). Data loggers were attached to the wooden posts at 0.5 m height from the surface. Continuous recordings were performed every 30 min providing 48 measurements of air temperature, relative humidity and dew point per day. The dataset presented in the article is of particular value to understanding the heterogeneity of abiotic parameters within mire systems.

Landscape analysis of nutrient-enriched margins (lagg) in ombrotrophic peatlands.

Scientific knowledge of the wet zone - the lagg - that tends to form at the edge of ombrotrophic peatlands is surprisingly limited. In this study, we aim to improve the understanding of the ecohydrological functions of this transition by describing the form and abiotic controls of the laggs and margins of bog peatlands. Data collected in wells and piezometers along 10 transects (within 6 bogs), of the New Brunswick Eastern Lowlands are used to analyse the hydraulic and hydrochemical gradients, while airborne LiDAR data provides new insight on the geomorphology and the vegetation patterns of the bog-lagg-mineral transition zone. Based on their geomorphic character, the study transects are placed into 2 categories: confined and unconfined. Laggs of confined transition are found in a topographic depression, between the bog and a mineral slope >1%, while laggs of unconfined transitions are adjacent to a flat (≤1%) or receding mineral slope (sloping away from the lagg). Water level (4 ± 9 cm vs. -3 ± 9 cm), pH (4.8 ± 0.9 vs. 4.2 ± 0.4), electrical conductivity (ECcorr) (105 ± 52 µS cm(-1) vs. 52 ± 28 µS cm(-1)) and peat depth (55 ± 9 cm vs. 30 ± 9 cm) are found to be higher, respectively, for the confined laggs than for the unconfined. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) of the lagg's upper peat layer resembles that of bog environments, but quickly reduces with depth, impeding vertical water flow. The greatest abiotic control of the lagg appears to be topography, which affects water flow rates and direction, thus water chemistry, nutrient transport and availability, hence vegetation characteristics. Our results suggest that the features of the transition zone that include the lagg, influence the quantity and variability of water within the adjacent peatland, and should be considered as integral part of the peatland complex.