THE INTENSIVITY OF CO<sub>2</sub> PRODUCTION IN UNDISTURBED AND DRAINED PEAT OF A MESOOLIGOTROPHIC MIRE
We made a comparative study of the intensity of carbon dioxide production by Sphagnum peats of an undisturbed and a drained (20 years since drainage) sites of a mesooligotrophic mire in southern Karelia. The spatial distribution of the intensity of gas production at different depths down to 50 cm was determined in both sites. The study was done under laboratory conditions by incubating peat samples under controlled temperature and soil moisture. Maximal carbon dioxide production was detected at a depth of 0-10 cm. The process generally stabilized at the depth of 15 cm, without further significant changes in the intensity with depth. It is shown that the temperature, moisture and degree of peat decomposition influence the process of CO2 production in peat soils.