Peat Soil Burning in the Mezzano Lowland (Po Plain, Italy): Triggering Mechanisms and Environmental Consequences

Claudio Natali; Gianluca Bianchini; Stefano Cremonini; Gian Marco Salani; Gilmo Vianello; Valentina Brombin; Mattia Ferrari; Livia Vittori Antisari

doi:10.1029/2021GH000444

Peat Soil Burning in the Mezzano Lowland (Po Plain, Italy): Triggering Mechanisms and Environmental Consequences

Geohealth. 2021 Aug 1;5(8):e2021GH000444. doi: 10.1029/2021GH000444. eCollection 2021 Aug.

Authors

Claudio Natali^{1

2}, Gianluca Bianchini^{2

3}, Stefano Cremonini⁴, Gian Marco Salani³, Gilmo Vianello⁵, Valentina Brombin^{2

3}, Mattia Ferrari^{1

3}, Livia Vittori Antisari⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Earth Sciences University of Florence Florence Italy.
² Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-IGAG) Montelibretti Italy.
³ Department of Physics and Earth Sciences University of Ferrara Ferrara Italy.
⁴ Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences University of Bologna Bologna Italy.
⁵ Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences University of Bologna Bologna Italy.

Abstract

The effects of peat burning on organic-rich agricultural soils of the Mezzano Lowland (NE Italy) were evaluated on soil profiles variously affected by smoldering. Profiles were investigated for pH, electrical conductivity, bulk density, elemental and isotopic composition of distinct carbon (and nitrogen) fractions. The results suggest that the horizons affected by carbon loss lie at depths 10-70 cm, where the highest temperatures are developed. We suggest that the exothermal oxidation of methane (mediated by biological activity) plays a significant role in the triggering mechanism. In the interested soils we estimated a potential loss of Soil Organic Carbon of approximately 110 kg m ^-2 within the first meter, corresponding to 580 kg CO₂ m ^-3. The released greenhouse gas is coupled with a loss of soil structure and nutrients. Moreover, the process plausibly triggers mobility of metals bound in organometallic complexes. All these consequences negatively affect the environment, the agricultural activities and possibly also health of the local people.

Keywords: Consequence for the environment and human health; Mezzano Lowland; carbon stock and CO2 emission; northern Italy; peat soils; smoldering; triggering mechanism.