The eastern massasauga rattlesnake, or massasauga, is threatened in Ontario. Massasaugas overwinter in habitat that is sufficiently moist, above the water table, and below the zero-degree isotherm in a physical space conceptualized as a resilience zone. A development project in the Eastern Georgian Bay subpopulation of massasaugas overwintering habitat necessitated restoration. The Toronto Zoo hibernacula design was deemed inappropriate for use in this bedrock dominated landscape, as the limited deep groundwater percolation would result in flooding of the habitat from the fall to spring. Massasaugas in EGB, overwinter above the water table in Sphagnum peat hummocks. The ecohydrological factors of these hummocks in confirmed massasauga habitat were evaluated in a mixed effect linear model. It was found that taller hummocks, taller shrubs, and less WT variability were the best predictor of suitable conditions. This information was combined into a restoration method that moves surficial peat material from a soon to be impacted wetlands to an adjacent depression with mean depths of 40-80 cm, with mean bottom substrates 15-30 cm, and varying proportions of open water and floating peat with different vegetation communities. This design limits water table variability and allows for the growth of tall shrubs. Unforeseen circumstances meant that peat to be used in the project had to be stockpiled, which increased peat bulk density and limited photosynthesis. Despite this, restored habitat had similar mean lengths of unsuitable conditions compared to confirmed massasauga wetland habitat. The physical size of available overwintering habitat, as well as the total duration of unsuitable conditions, was not significantly different between restored wetlands, unconfirmed wetlands, and confirmed wetlands. Amendments to increase the cover of live Sphagnum moss will likely increase the duration and size of suitable conditions in the restored wetlands. Based on this success with degraded materials this new method of restoration design shows great promise in this region. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Peatlands represent a globally significant carbon stock and wildfire is the largest disturbance affecting these ecosystems. Climate change scenarios suggest that increases in evapotranspiration are likely to exceed increases in precipitation in northern latitudes, raising concern that peatlands will experience substantial drying. Drying may increase peat burn severity and, when coupled with expected increases in total wildfire area burned, may exceed peatland resilience to wildfire. While previous studies have examined both peatland vulnerability to wildfire and post-fire recovery, these studies have not examined the driest peatlands on the landscape that are likely to be the most susceptible to the combined effects of climate change and wildfire. For this reason, this thesis examined the hydrogeological and ecohydrological controls on burn severity and post-fire recovery in peatlands in the Boreal Plains of Alberta, where peatlands exist at the limit of their climate tolerance. High burn severity was prevalent at the margins of a small peatland isolated from groundwater flow, where average burn depths were five-fold greater than in the middle of the peatland. Deep burning was attributable to the effect of dynamic hydrological conditions on margin peat bulk density and moisture. Following wildfire, water availability was a key determinant of post-fire moss recovery. Both high and low burn severity can decrease post-fire water availability by altering peat hydrophysical properties. Post-fire recovery was also dependent on large-scale hydrological processes that influence peatland water tables, specifically, hydrogeological setting. Small peatlands isolated from groundwater flow systems had lower peatland moss recolonization rates at both their middles and margins due to drier conditions. This was important because the margins of these same peatlands were prone to deep burning. Therefore, deep burning is likely altering peatland margin ecohydrological function and may be facilitating a regime shift from peatland to mineral upland. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Peatlands are important ecosystems that provide ecohydrological functions related to carbon storage and cycling, water quality, flood attenuation, and groundwater recharge. One key characteristic that gives peatlands these functions is the capacity to swell and shrink upon wetting and drying, commonly referred to as peat volume change. This property of peat volume change is closely related to the fluctuations of the water table and has a buffering effect on the water table depth relative to the peat surface, which acts as an important control on many ecohydrological functions such as carbon cycling, vegetation composition, and biogeochemical processes. In an attempt to fill a gap of knowledge, this thesis investigated peat volume change for multiple Northern peatlands close to Umeå, Sweden, using groundwater level and mire surface level data obtained during the summer of 2021. The objectives were to investigate the temporal trends and characteristics of changes in the water table and peat volume at the studied site and to determine how peat volume change capacity differs for mires of different ages, as well as different land management such as natural, drained and restored peatlands. It was found that old (older than 2000 years) mires have a significantly smaller peat volume change capacity compared to young mires (younger than 1000 years), as well as smaller specific storage, indicating that factors that change as the peatland evolves are important for the ability to expand and contract. It was also found that the relationship between the mire surface and water level was linear for some mires but not for others, including drained and old mires. For the drained mires this could be explained by very deep water tables compared to the natural mires, however, they did not stand out among the natural mires concerning peat volume change capacity. The comparison between a restored mire and a drained gave ambiguous results. It was also found that the specific storage, which is directly related tothe compressibility of the peat, was greater during drying conditions compared to rewetting conditions, highlighting peatlands ability to maintain wet conditions. The study provides a deeper understanding of peat volume change in Northern peatlands and the factors related to this phenomenon, which is crucial for further studying of peatland ecohydrology. / Torvmarker är viktiga ekosystem som bidrar med ekohydrologiska funktioner relaterade till kollagring och kolcykling, vattenkvalitet, minskad översvämningsrisk och grundvattenbildning. En egenskap hos torv som är viktig för dessa funktioner är förmågan att svälla under våta perioder och krympa under torrperioder. Denna torvvolymförändring är relaterad till fluktuationer i grundvattennivå och kan även ha en buffrande effekt på grundvattendjupet (avståndet från markytan till grundvattenytan), vilket påverkar flertalet ekohydrologiska funktioner såsom kolcykling, vegetationssammansättning, och biogeokemiska processer. I ett försök att fylla en lucka i kunskapen kring detta fenomen undersökte detta examensarbete torvvolymförändringar för flera torvmarker, eller myrar, i närheten av Umeå baserat data för grundvattennivåer och nivån på myrars markyta som erhållits under sommaren 2021. Syftet var identifiera trender och egenskaper hos de olika myrarnas förändring i grundvattennivån och myrnivå, samt att ta reda om det finns någon skillnad i torvens kapacitet för att svälla och krypa hos myrar med olika ålder, samt olika markskötsel såsom naturliga, dränerade och restaurerade myrar. Resultatet visade att äldre (äldre än 2000 år) myrar har en betydligt mindre kapacitet att svälla och krympa jämfört med yngre myrar (yngre än 1000 år), samt mindre specifik magasinkoefficient, vilket indikerar att faktorer som förändras när myren blir äldre är viktiga för förmågan att svälla och krympa. Resultatet visade också att förhållandet mellan myrens marknivå och grundvattennivå var linjärt för vissa myrar men inte för andra, inklusive dränerade och gamla myrar. För de dränerade myrarna kunde detta förklaras av mycket djupa grundvattennivåer jämfört med de naturliga myrarna, men de stack inte ut bland de naturliga myrarna vad gäller förmåga att svälla och krympa. Jämförelsen mellan en restaurerad myr och en dränerad gav tvetydiga resultat. Man fann också att den specifika magasinkoefficienten, som är direkt relaterad till torvens kompressabilitet, var större under torra perioder jämfört med våta perioder, vilket visar på myrens förmåga att upprätthålla våta förhållanden. Studien gav en djupare förståelse för myrars förmåga att svälla och krympa och faktorerna relaterade till detta fenomen, vilket är av betydelse för vidare forskning om torvmarkers ekohydrologi.

<p>Rich fens are an important, but threatened, habitat type in the boreal landscape. In this thesis I have examined responses of rich fen vascular plants and bryophytes after drainage and restoration. </p><p>The effects of drainage on the rich fen flora were observed in a long time study and the responses were rapid and drastic. During an initial stage a rapid loss of brown mosses was observed, followed by increases of sedges and early successional bryophytes, and later by an expansion of dominants. Initial effects of hydrological restoration showed that rewetting can promote re-establishment of an ecologically functional rich fen flora, but has to be combined with other treatments, such as mowing or surface disturbance. </p><p>After restoration, re-establishment of locally extinct species may be hampered by dispersal limitations. To test if reintroductions could help to overcome dispersal limitations I performed transplantation studies with four common rich fens bryophytes to a rewetted site. The results showed that the species were able to establish, and that survival and growth were promoted by desiccation protection and liming. </p><p>I further examined competition among three of the most common bryophytes in natural boreal rich fens that usually occur mixed in a mosaic pattern but show small but important microtopographical niche separation. The results indicate similar competitive abilities among the species, and no case of competitative exclusion occurred. The results help to explain the coexistence of these species under natural conditions with microtopographic variation and repeated small scale natural disturbances. </p><p>Restoring a functional flora in drained rich fens is a complex task, which requires understanding of underlying causes of substrate degradation in combination with suitable restoration measures. The thesis suggests how the results can be used in practical restoration work, and also stresses the need for monitoring of restoration experiments over longer time. </p>

Peatland ecosystems only cover 2-3 % of the Earth‟s surface but they represent significant carbon stores, holding approximately one third of the global soil carbon (C). The major peat forming genera Sphagnum appears to be highly sensitive to increased N availability. Many studies have shown decreased productivity of Sphagnum which could lead to a decrease in the amount of C stored, especially as many studies also show an increase in the decomposition rate with higher N deposition. However, the overall effects of N on CO2 fluxes of Sphagnum remain unclear. The present study aimed to look at the effects of increased N on Sphagnum productivity, decomposition and CO2 fluxes after long-term N additions (> 5 years) using a field experiment at Whim Moss in southern Scotland where N deposition has been manipulated employing a very realistic application coupled to rainfall since 2002. The experiment also has treatments with PK addition to test the effects of removing P and/or K-limitation. Measurements of plant tissue nutrient concentrations, visual assessments of Sphagnum viability, and pore water analysis were also carried out. Nitrogen additions increased tissue N, and decreased Sphagnum shoot extension and productivity. Simultaneous P and K additions alleviated the effects of N on tissue N concentrations and growth, although this was only significant for shoot extension. Visual assessments correlated well with tissue chemistry and productivity; the decline in health was associated with high %N and reduced productivity. Interestingly, in the present study increased N decreased the mass loss and again when PK was added with N decomposition rates were more similar to the control. With respect to the carbon balance of the site and the sustainability of peatlands the results suggest that the negative effect of N on C assimilation may be partially offset by the reduced decomposition rates. The CO2 measurements showed a large loss of C as CO2 from all the Sphagnum plots which was exacerbated by adding N especially when the air temperature increased. The positive temperature response of ecosystem respiration with N additions suggests that in high N deposition areas climate change and subsequent temperature rises will increase C losses from bogs.

The growth in global population and the unsustainable business as usual model adopted by private companies in managing land, are causing huge pressures on Indonesian natural ecosystems. The widespread peatland deforestation and degradation affecting Indonesia has been the leading cause of biodiversity loss, decrease of vital ecosystem services, land subsidence, fires and increased impoverishment of local communities. In response to this issue, the Indonesian government, supported by civil society and scientists, issued in 2004 the Ecosystem Restoration Concession license, a new approach of managing logged out production forests in order to reverse and restore deforested, degraded and damaged ecosystems. In 2013, the Indonesian second largest pulp and paper company, APRIL acquired this licence and launched one of the biggest and most ambitious restoration projects in the country, called RER. This project was implemented in the Kampar Peninsula, Riau province, Sumatra, a vast peatland area unique for its ecosystem services and its flora and fauna species. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the sustainability of the project’s management, conservation and development model. Field observations and qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted on various groups of stakeholders. The study showed that, although the project has generated various benefits, thus having the potential of exceeding the environmental, social and economic costs in the future, several challenges, such as managing land, providing alternative livelihoods and including the participation of local communities were reported. If these problems are not successfully addressed, they risk jeopardising the success of the project and therefore its opportunity of becoming sustainable and widespread.

Eva Novozámská Dynamics of moss overgrowth in ditches in restorated drained mires in area of Modrava bogs (Šumava NP) Abstract This thesis is devoted to a research of induced and natural Sphagnum overgrowth in dammed ditches in restorated drained mires of Šumava National Park within the "Programme of Peatland restoration". Induced overgrowth was studied on the peatlands Cikánská slať, Luzenská slať and Novohuťské močály and 36 permanent experimental sites were established for its study. In 2006 Sphagnum fallax or Sphagnum majus were placed in each site in dependence on the type of locality. For four years increase or decrease of Sphagnum were monitored. The study of natural overgrowth was investigated on the same localities as induced overgrowth. The Sphagnum cover was noted in the year 2009 at 65 sites. The depth of the ditch and the flow of water were the most important variables influencing natural overgrowth and the cover was almost the same on all localities. In the case of induced overgrowth the most important parameters were depth and width of the ditch, amount of the branch support and the interaction of depth and width. The depth of the ditch in the case of natural overgrowth was used to generate a model for prediction of Sphagnum cover. It was possible to compare the induced overgrowth with the...

A Bacia hidrográfica do Rio Sorocá-Mirim encontra-se no Planalto de Ibiúna, que faz parte de um conjunto de blocos falhados formando grábens e meio grábens, que compõem um sistema de bloqueio estrutural onde a água é aprisionada em sub superfície criando as condições ideais para a formação de turfeiras. Características como a geometria dos interflúvios, a assimetria das vertentes e das planícies de inundação e também a disposição da rede de drenagem, denotam a grande influência das estruturas geológicas nesta bacia hidrográfica. As zonas de acumulação de matéria orgânica encontradas na Bacia do Sorocá-Mirim estão vinculadas à ambientes fluviais particulares, relacionados ao controle estrutural, que é característica marcante da área. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo estudar turfeiras, em dois ambientes fluviais diferentes (terraço e anfiteatro) em relação às suas características físicas, químicas, orgânicas e sua distribuição areolar para entender como a formação destas turfeiras foi influenciada por esses ambientes. O levantamento topográfico das duas áreas, assim como uma série de ensaios e análises laboratoriais demonstraram que as turfeiras dos dois ambientes apresentam idades diferentes em aproximadamente 1000 anos (turfeira da área 2, terraço, mais antiga do que a turfeira da área 1, anfiteatro), mesmo tipo de plantas acumuladas ao longo destes anos e diferenças principalmente no que se refere à posição preferencial ao acúmulo da matéria orgânica e à variações, no sentido das maiores profundidades, de diversos parâmetros observados. Verificou-se que a área 1 sofreu maiores alterações do modelado, e consequentemente nas suas condições hidrológicas ao longo dos tempos, passando a ser um ambiente mais drenado, mais oxigenado, com uma turfeira que apresentou resultados laboratoriais mais heterogêneos, com concentrações de matéria orgânica e dos elementos vinculados a ela, variando bastante ao longo da feição. A área 2 não sofreu grandes alterações no modelado, mantendo-se mais úmida ao longo do tempo o que acarretou em uma turfeira mais homogênea com valores mais constantes de matéria orgânica e dos elementos vinculados a ela, ao longo da feição. Essas diferenças são reflexo da influência do modelado nos processos de acumulação da matéria orgânica, onde em cada feição (terraço, ou anfiteatro) a matéria orgânica é acumulada em posições específicas, sofrendo maior ou menor interferência de materiais minerais adjacentes; e principalmente o modelado controla as condições hidrológicas, diferentes, em cada uma das feições, fazendo com o que o ambiente seja mais ou menos úmido e desta forma sendo o elemento principal de controle dos processos de evolução da matéria orgânica. / The Sorocá-Mirim River basin is located on the Ibiúna Plateau, wich is part of a set of failed blocks forming grabens and half grabens, which makes up a structural block system where water is trapped in sub-surface creating the ideal conditions for the formation of peatlands. Characteristics such as the geometry of interfluves, the asymmetry of slopes and flood plains and also the layout of the drainage network, denote the great influence of the geological structures in this basin. The areas of accumulation of organic matter found in the Sorocá-Mirim Basin are linked to particular fluvial environments, related to structural control, which is a characteristic feature of the area. The present study aimed to study peatlands in two different fluvial environments (terrace and amphitheater) in relation to their physical, chemical, and organic characteristics and their areolar distribution to understand how the formation of these peatlands was influenced by these environments. The topographic survey of the two areas, as well as a series of laboratory tests and analyzes showed that the peatlands of the two environments present different ages in approximately 1000 years (peatland of area 2 older than the peatland of area 1), same type of plants, accumulated along these years and differences mainly with respect to the preferential position to the accumulation of the organic matter and the variations, in the direction of the greater depths, of several observed parameters. It was verified that area 1 underwent major alterations in the landform, and consequently in its hydrological conditions over time, becoming a more drained, more oxygenated environment, with a peatland that presented more heterogenous laboratory results, with concentrations of organic matter and the elements attached to it, varying greatly throughout the feature. Area 2 did not undergo major alterations in the landform, remaining wetter over time which resulted in a more homogeneous peat with more constant values of organic matter and the elements bound to it, along the feature. These differences reflect the influence of landform on the processes of organic matter accumulation, where in each feature (terrace or amphitheater) the organic matter is accumulated in specific positions, suffering more or less interference of adjacent mineral materials; and mainly the landform controls the different hydrological conditions in each of the features, making the environment more or less moist and thus being the main element of control of the evolution processes of organic matter. The work showed that landform is the main conditioning element of the humidity of the environments and consequently of the processes of evolution and the characteristics of the peatlands.

Fires have been increasing in size and frequency across the tropics in recent decades, particularly in tropical peatland areas. Indonesia has the largest amount of tropical peat carbon globally. Fires in fuel-rich tropical peatlands are a major source of carbon emissions, have serious consequences for human health, destroy or degrade habitat, and result in high economic costs. There have been many calls for a better understanding of the relative contributions of the biophysical and anthropogenic factors that drive fire, as this understanding would contribute to the success of efforts to reduce these fires. This dissertation uses remote sensing, fieldwork, and modeling to explore the dynamics of fire disturbance in Indonesia and investigates this disturbance from the framework of coupled human and natural systems, where complex interactions between the social and the biophysical are explicitly considered. Chapters One and Two assess both the influence of various human and biophysical factors to fire probability (Chapter One) and ignitions (Chapter Two) on a peat-swamp forest area in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, equivalent to a third of Kalimantan's peatland area. A Bayesian modeling approach is used in Chapter One to estimate the effects of atmospheric dryness, human access, vegetation, and hydrology on the probability of fire occurrence. The potential for peatland restoration to offset the impacts of climate on fire occurrence is also explored. I find that climate is the most important factor driving fire occurrence, which is consistent with the findings in many other parts of the tropics. However, two human-driven factors are almost as significant as the influence of climate: drainage canals, which were put in place as part of a failed agricultural project and have lowered the water table; and woody vegetation, which has decreased over time. Chapter Two inspects the oft-asserted claim that escaped fires from oil palm concessions and smallholder farms near settlements are the primary sources of fire ignitions. We evaluate fire origin and spread, and find that most fires originate in non-forest, compared to oil palm concessions, and relatively few originate close to settlements. Moreover, most fires started within oil palm concessions and in close proximity to settlements stay within those boundaries. However, fire ignition density in oil palm concessions and close to settlements is high. Furthermore, increased anthropogenic activity in close proximity to oil palm concessions and settlements produces a detectable pattern of fire activity. These results refute the claim that most fires originate in oil palm concessions, and that fires escaping from oil palm concessions and settlements constitute a major proportion of fires in this study region. However, there is a potential for these land use types to contribute more substantially to the fire landscape if their area expands. Chapter Three examines the potential for the financial incentive mechanism of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification, which prohibits the use of fire on certified concessions, to reduce fire activity on oil palm concessions. We examine if RSPO-certified concessions have reduced fire activity in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the leading producers of oil palm both within Indonesia and globally. We also evaluate if this pattern changes with increasing likelihood of fires. These questions are particularly critical in fuel-rich peatland areas, of which approximately 46% was designated as oil palm concession as of 2010. We find that fire activity is significantly lower on RSPO certified concessions than non-RSPO certified concessions when the likelihood of fire is low (i.e., on non-peatlands in wetter years), but not when the likelihood of fire is high (i.e., on non-peatlands in dry years or on peatlands). These chapters advance our understanding of how anthropogenic factors influence the controls of fire in Kalimantan and Sumatra, both directly (i.e., human-caused ignitions) and indirectly (i.e., changing the susceptibility of the landscape to ignitions and to burning). The findings presented in this dissertation indicate that oil palm concessions are associated with high fire probability (Chapter One) and a substantial amount of ignitions and relatively high ignition density (Chapter Two). One of the more pointed ways to target fire on oil palm concessions is through RSPO certification; however, we find that certification is only effective when fire likelihood is already low, suggesting that, in order for this mechanism to reduce fire, more assistance may be needed to control fires in dry years and on peatlands (Chapter Three). Non-forested, degraded areas contribute much more to fire activity than oil palm on this landscape; these areas experience the greatest number of ignitions, have highest ignition density, and are the primary source of forest fires (Chapter Two). Furthermore, the declines in vegetation and the hydrological alteration in these degraded areas contribute substantially to fire occurrence (Chapter One). Effective fire management in this area, including fire prevention and suppression efforts, should therefore target not just oil palm concessions and smallholdings around settlements, but should also focus strongly on non-forested, degraded areas – and in particular those near oil palm concession boundaries and outside the immediate vicinity of settlements – where fire probability is high and where ignitions and fires escaping into forest are most likely to occur. Rehabilitation of the degraded landscape through restoring hydrology and replanting will be key to fire reduction, and can offset the effects of climate on fire in this landscape. The methodological approaches in this dissertation demonstrate ways in which remote sensing and analytical technologies can be used to answer complex questions about coupled human and natural systems that fuse social and environmental data, for both theoretical and management applications. Chapter One uses biophysical information from remotely sensed products and fieldwork with information about human access on the landscape and integrates them together with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Active Fire detections under a Bayesian framework. Chapters Two and Three use a novel technique to cluster remotely sensed data on fire occurrence (MODIS Active Fire detections) into fire events so that ignitions can be isolated. This technique allows us to answer questions related to fire origin, spread, and impact that cannot be investigated by evaluating fire detections alone. This dissertation addresses a gap in knowledge regarding the anthropogenic contributions to increased fire probability and to ignitions in peat swamp, and the approaches could be applied to other degraded peatland areas in Indonesia that are candidate sites for restoration (e.g., under the newly established Peatland Restoration Agency), and to degraded peatlands that experience a novel fire regime in other parts of the tropics. Furthermore, this dissertation evaluates the capacity for RSPO certification to reduce fire activity on oil palm concessions across Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia, and the analyses conducted could be applied to landscapes in other parts of the tropics experiencing oil palm development. In conclusion, the research findings presented in this dissertation are a product of combining social and environmental data and evaluating this data with a suite of classic and novel modeling approaches. This dissertation is presented in the hope that it contributes to our understanding of fire dynamics in the globally important peat-swamp forest, Indonesia, and thus our capacity to manage these disturbances.

Northern peatlands are an important carbon store, with carbon dynamics and hydrology intrinsically linked. The riparian zone is the interface between the terrestrial and aquatic systems, situated adjacent to the stream and characterised by periodic flooding, near surface water tables and unique soil and plant species composition. Due to its unique biogeochemical environment, the riparian zone has the potential to modify significantly the production, mobilisation and transport of carbon via the land-atmosphere and aquatic pathways. Two contrasting headwater catchments, an ombrotrophic peatland (Auchencorth Moss, SE Scotland) and a forested, till dominated catchment (Västrabäcken, N Sweden), were investigated. In each carbon concentrations in soil and stream water and hydrological parameters were measured in transects connecting the wider catchment, riparian zone and stream. The overarching aim was to investigate the role of the riparian zone on the hydrological and bio-geochemical functioning of peatland and forested catchments, focusing on carbon export via the aquatic pathway. Specific objectives were to: a) examine the importance of soils, water table and vegetation composition on riparian biogeochemical cycling, b) investigate riparian-stream hydrological connectivity and the transport of carbon across the soil-water interface and c) assess riparian processes in relation to the net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) across northern latitude ecosystems. Porewater total carbon (TC) concentrations (sum of dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC, DIC), CO2 and CH4) were on average higher in Auchencorth Moss (78.8-140 mg C L-1) than the Västrabäcken (27.7-63.2 mg C L-1) catchment. In both catchments, higher TC concentrations were observed in the riparian zone compared to the wider catchment. The dominant control for differentiating between catchment and riparian biogeochemical processes was the higher average riparian water table with each carbon species displaying a positive relationship with water table height. A range of other factors, including soil temperature and the carbon content of catchment and riparian soils, also contributed to the complexity of riparian carbon biogeochemical cycles. Catchment specific phenomena, including the presence of aerenchymous vegetation and stream sediment deposition onto the riparian zone, modified riparian carbon dynamics in the Auchencorth Moss catchment. Isotopically, porewater DOC, CO2 and CH4 had a 14C content >100 %modern, indicating that the modern plant derived DOC is being transported down the soil profile, providing the source for CO2 and CH4 production at depth. In both catchments the riparian zone represented an important and dynamic source of carbon to stream waters. Total annual CO2 export from the riparian zone of the Västrabäcken catchment to the stream channel over the hydrological year was 2.7 g CO2-C m2 yr-1 with export predominantly from between 40 and 55 cm depth within the soil. Two monthly peaks in CO2 export occurred over the hydrological year related to either storm events or the spring snow melt period which accounted for 19 % of annual export, highlighting the temporal variability in soil-stream linkages, especially during high flow periods. In the generally wetter peatland catchment, riparian-stream linkages were driven by antecedent conditions and variation in riparian water table, with changes in water input, rather than changes in CO2 source concentrations, controlling stream water composition. The negative CO2 concentration-discharge relationship in the stream suggested that event water dominated, with small but important inputs from high concentration soil water during individual events. The importance of event water in transporting carbon was confirmed through the isotope result. CO2, CH4 and DOC exported via the aquatic pathway predominantly contained modern, plant derived carbon from the near surface soil horizons but with a small contribution (5-28 %) from deeper geological sources leading to aged evasion CH4 (310-537 years BP) and CO2 (36 years BP to modern). In both catchments the riparian zone was more important, relative to the wider catchment, in controlling the export of carbon via the aquatic pathway. At Auchencorth Moss, the riparian zone, plus an area of the catchment extending ~20 m from the stream, were hotspots for land-atmosphere fluxes of CH4, with mean flux of 1.08-7.70 mg m2 hr-1 in comparison to the catchment overall (0.05 mg m2 hr-1). In both catchments, combining detailed catchment hydrological models with high temporal resolution carbon concentration measurements, especially in riparian zone soils, has the potential to improve estimates of downstream and evaded carbon export in headwater catchments. Riparian zones should therefore be included more in studies investigating hydrological and biogeochemical processes in northern latitude headwater catchments. The processes within riparian zones suggest that despite the relatively small area that riparian zones represent, in relation to the wider catchment, they may play an important role in the NECB of peatland and forested catchments under future management and climate change scenarios.