Leah Boccignone presents 'Subsurface Modeling and Carbon Stock Assessment of the Välisuo Peatland (Finland) Using a Novel Multi-Method Approach',

Leah Boccignone, a master's student in applied geological sciences, will present 'Subsurface Modeling and Carbon Stock Assessment of the Välisuo Peatland (Finland) Using a Novel Multi-Method Approach' on April 3.

Abstract

Peatlands are waterlogged ecosystems that can accumulate and store carbon. Despite covering only a small fraction of Earth's land surface, peatlands hold an estimated 30% of global soil carbon, making them critical components of the global carbon cycle. By applying modern analytical techniques to individual peatland sites, carbon stock estimates can be refined at local, regional, and global scales. This study combines high-resolution geophysical techniques, mathematical interpolation, and peat core sediment geochemical analyses to estimate carbon stock (mass) at the Välisuo peatland (144,671.30 m2 in area) in northern Finland, which has one of the highest densities of peatland coverage in the world. Peat depth measurements, collected through high-density spatial resolution manual probing and ground-penetrating radar, were interpolated using ordinary kriging to create a subsurface topography model. This model was combined with a digital elevation analysis in a novel approach that incorporated surface topography into peatland volume calculations. Carbon bulk density values, determined via peat core loss-on-ignition analysis, were then used to calculate total mass of carbon. This first-ever carbon stock estimate (9,338.50 ± 1,585.17 t C) for the Välisuo peatland highlights the significant carbon storage capacity of individual peatlands and reinforces the need for more site-specific assessments to better quantify and understand peatland roles in the global carbon cycle.

Event details

Event location - CPISB 120 and Zoom
Event date - 04/03/2026
Event start time - 12 p.m.
Event end time - 1 p.m.

Zoom link