SPRUCE: Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments

Peatlands

peatland

Located within a terrestrial wetland environment where plant material cannot entirely decompose due to the presence of water.

Source: International Peatland Society Source

cover around 3 percent of the Earth’s surface and hold at least a third of the world’s soil carbon.

soil carbon

The measurable amount carbon dioxide stored in soil. It is the primary indicator of soil health, and it impacts the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of the soil.

Source: Science Direct Source

The SPRUCE project, located in Minnesota’s Marcell Experimental Forest, allows scientists to measure the impacts of warming through a series of large-scale enclosures that expose peatland plots to temperatures from ambient to +9⁰C. Some enclosures are also exposed to elevated CO₂. The project improves understanding of terrestrial

terrestrial

The geographical and biological features that are associated with the Earth's solid, rocky surface, residing on or resembling the land or terrain found on our planet.

Source: NASA Source

ecosystem-climate system interactions.