Centuries old Sphagnum fuscum has amazing moisture regulatory mechanisms. S.fuscum transports moisture by wicking it up hollow microtubules. A question is to what degree this is impaired by removing the 10cm top layer (the top 10cm exhibit successful vegetative regrowth) and transplanting it upon another substrate? University of Quebec research has transplanted Acrotelm to a dessicated peat layer that was vacuum harvested years before. The diurnal cycle of moisture movement was somewhat impaired. This was attributed to "voids"; a topological configurational mismatch between the bottom of the Acrotelm and the top of the dried peat: http://www.gret-perg.ulaval.ca/uploads/tx_centrerecherche/Cagampan_etal_HydrolProc2008.pdf
A different and fine-grained explanation is S.fuscum water droplet transporting microtubules remain mostly intact and functional after years of decay and a little functional after decades or more of decay. Severing nerves would be the rough analogy to removing the Acrotelm. It is important to know whether moisture transport can be maintained efficiently with Acrotelm transplanted to a new substrate. If it can't be, transplanted substrates will have to be much thicker and the most efficient geometry may be World Trade Centres rather than a roll of sod or a cube. The above referenced research took place in a bog with 1200mm/yr precipitation, and the transplanted Acrotelm survived and grew on the vacuumed peat. The cheapie real estate is 600mm/yr of that or less...
The cheapie real estate is now boreal forests, rock, tundra, glaciers, shallow freshwater. For reference, S.fuscum grows horizontally 1.5cm/yr and vertically at 1-2cm/yr, before compression to 1mm/yr after about 30 years.
Hydraulic Conductivity material property estimate aren't of much use. Sand and acrotelm have apporximately the same hydraulic conductivity: 10^-4 m/s. Acrotelm can wick water from below more efficiently. It would be nice to have better near surface geological surveys to open up the field. S.fuscum minimizes the incidence and number of forest fires, and where dryer tundra is at fire risk, the S.fuscum carbon economics are very favourable. Over centuries S.fuscum builds up its own perched water table. The permafrost will be melted entirely in 100 years; needs our help if existing Arctic carbon is to remain sequestered.
