ICOS STATION
Auchencorth Moss

UK-AMo

GB

1

2021-11-17

0

Auchencorth Moss station (ICOS code UK-AMo) is a low-lying ombrotrophic peatland situated 17 km southwest of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK). The open moorland site has an extensive uniform fetch over blanket bog to the south, west and north with a dominant wind direction from the south-west; winds from the north-east are the second most important wind direction. The terrain is relatively flat with a complex micro-topography consisting of hummocks and hollows. Hummocks are relatively small in size (typically 40 cm in diameter and 30 cm in height) and covered by either a mix of Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin. and Eriophorum vaginatum L., or Juncus effusus L.. In contrast, hollows are dominated by mosses (Sphagnum papillosum Lindb. and Polytrichum commune Hedw.) and a layer of grasses. The site was drained more than 100 years ago; the drains have become progressively less effective and re-vegetated over time, leading to slow and progressive rewetting of the site. Over the last 20 years, the site has been used for seasonal low intensity sheep grazing; areas of peat extraction occur at the margins of the catchment outside the footprint of the flux tower measurements. Parent material comprises Upper Carboniferous/Lower Devonian sedimentary rocks overlain by fluvio-glacial till; peat depth ranges from < 0.5 to > 5 m. Long-term research on C fluxes is focussed on the 3.4 km2 upper part of the catchment (elevation range 249-300 m) where the soils comprise peats (85%), Gleysols (9%), Humic Gleysols (3%) and Cambisols (3%).

7.6 °C

960.0 mm

55.792545, -3.2436917

270 m