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Project properties |
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| Title | MSc Thesis - Assessing the effect of climate change on vegetation patterns in Irish peatlands |
| Group | Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 36 |
| Supervisor(s) | Jasper Steenvoorden MSc (daily supervisor) and Dr. Juul Limpens |
| Examiner(s) | Dr. Juul Limpens & Jasper Steenvoorden MSc |
| Contact info | jasper.steenvoorden@wur.nl; juul.limpens@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2021/09/01 |
| End date | 2023/02/01 |
| Description | Peatlands are remarkably resilient to environmental changes; there are few ecosystems that are still around at the exact same location they originated in some 8000 years ago. Nevertheless, accelerated warming and drying due to climate change may shift vegetation composition and patterns within a peatland, altering the globally important carbon (C) sequestration function peatlands provide. Although experimental research has shown a strong effect of climate change on peatland vegetation dynamics, long-term (here ca. 30-50 years) observations of vegetation changes within peatlands remain sparse, presenting a knowledge gap.
Peatland vegetation patterns occur at a range of spatial scales; from microform scale (0-1.1m, e.g. one hummock or hollow) to the mesotope scale (~100-100m, e.g. the scale of a whole peatland). At the mesotope scale specifically, peatland vegetation exhibits relatively homogenous zonation called ecotopes, and vegetation composition changes drastically when moving from the central ecotopes (central and sub-central) towards the margin of a peatland (sub-marginal and marginal). The ecotopes of near all raised bogs in Ireland have been mapped integrally (but manually, which is very labour-intensive) by the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) since the 1990's, providing an ideal dataset to assess changes in ecotopes within and between different peatlands. In this study, we will assess the effect of climate change on peatland vegetation patterns by investigating changes in ecotopes for a variety of peatlands existing under different management histories and climatological conditions. To do this, we will use a combination of field observations and aerial imagery (self-retrieved with a drone and the Ordnance Survey Ireland [OSi]) to classify the present distribution of ecotopes within each studied peatland. We can then compare the current distribution with the historical distribution, and relate these potential changes to climatological conditions and historical management practices. Besides, we will thoroughly test the feasibility of this method for potential use by the NPWS in the development of future ecotope maps. We are looking for a motivated, ambitious, cooperative and hard-working MSc student who is interested in (peatland) ecology and remote sensing, would like to go on fieldwork to collect vegetation data in Irish peatlands (see below), and has the interest to collaborate on publishing the findings of this research in a scientific journal. You will be working together with a team of experts on peatland ecologists (Dr. Juul Limpens & Dr. Matthijs Schouten [emeritus]), as well as a PhD student (Jasper), who will also be your daily supervisor. If you are interested in this study, and would like to collaborate together for your MSc thesis project, please do not hesitate to contact Jasper via jasper.steenvoorden@wur.nl to chat about the topic and possibilities! DISCLAIMER: ALTHOUGH THIS PROJECT "OFFICIALLY" STARTS ON THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER, THERE WILL BE A FIELDWORK PERIOD FROM APPROXIMATELY 9-22 SEPTEMBER, AND THE RESPECTIVE MSC STUDENT WILL NEED TO FINISH THEIR PROPOSAL BEFORE THE START OF THE FIELDWORK CAMPAIGN. THIS REQUIRES QUITE SOME PREPARATORY WORK IN THE SUMMER MONTHS (JULY-AUGUST). |
| Used skills | Vegetation field inventories, remote sensing, scientific writing, creative thinking |
| Requirements | At least some background in GIS/remote sensing |