Mineral element composition of Sphagnum fuscum peats collected from Minnesota, Manitoba and Ontario

Surface moss and peat analyses are presented from five North American ombrotrophic bogs: three sites in northern Minnesota, one in central Manitoba, and one in NE Ontario. All these sites have a well-developed, fibric surface peat layer with Sphagnum fuscum as a dominant, and as a typical feature of continental bogs, black spruce (Picea mariana) forms a continuous, although locally sparse tree canopy. In addition to nitrogen and sulfur analyses, data are presented for several major and minor elements based on ICP atomic emission spectrometry: P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Al, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Pb. Significant vertical and regional differences were found in the elemental concentrations. The possibilities of estimating the accumulation rates of chemical elements in the surface peat layers are discussed using examples from Finland and Ontario.