Modelling the ecohydrological consequences of peat extraction from a Scottish raised mire

Raised mires are increasingly rare peat-forming ecosystems, built and maintained by specialized plant communities whose survival and growth are intimately linked to the inherently unstable water regime. Their hydrological basis lies in groundwater mound theory, which explains their ability to maintain domed water bodies by establishment of dynamic equilibria between net meteoric input and impeded drainage, and determines their shapes. The theory is expressed in general form, and some solutions derived by analogy with other physical systems are quoted. The power of this approach in predicting consequences of exploiting peat resources for adjacent conservation areas is discussed, and its application in one such situation, on Blantyre Muir, is described. -Authors