Boggers EarthCache
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Located on the Lutz/Fireweed trail on the Carl E. Wynn Nature center property
Educational Info: Bogs are an extremely common wetland in Alaska’s boreal forests. Many bogs along the Kenai Peninsula were formed from kettle lakes left by the last retreat of the glaciers. A Kettle Lake is formed from blocks of melting ice that are left by the passing of a glacier. These lakes in general were not very deep and were able to go through the process of succession “quickly”, which results in the formation of a bog. The glaciers that came through this area of Alaska are responsible for carving out Kachemak Bay and creating the large bluffs on the north side of the bay. This bog was created during that glacial period, which began during the pliestocene epoch 2 mya and ended 10,000 years ago.
Lake to Bog Succession
Bogs occur when the sediment at the bottom of the lake become more peaty than clastic. Sphagnum moss is the most common ground cover in these areas, as well as the boreal forest in general. This moss is wonderfully absorbent and is able to hold approximately one pound of water to every ounce of dry sphagnum. As the sphagnum grows around the edges of a lake, it quickly absorbs some of the water; this then allows more area for more moss to grow and so on until the entire “lake” is covered in sphagnum. Over time, the layers of sphagnum moss turn to peat layers. Some bogs in the Denali National park can have over 22 ft of peat below the bog. The core from this bog revealed about 5 feet of peat before hitting a layer of bluish-grey glacial clay. Sphagnum mosses are notorious for releasing hydrogen ions into the water, causing the water to become very acidic. As a result, bogs are going to have very acidic soil. Most decomposers cannot survive in such acidic soil, bogs can be rich with well preserved animal remains. The acidic soils will also stunt the growth of trees and only allow for certain shrubs to live there. Look for dwarf birch, Labrador tea, and crowberry around the platform at the Wynn Nature Center. Incidentally, the acidic nature of sphagnum moss allows it to be a great antiseptic and bandage in survival situations.
Current Hydrology Measurements
Wells have been planted by the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District in this bog to measure groundwater flow. There is a 0.029 ft/ft gradient from the upslope monitor well to the viewing platform. This contrasts with the 0.019 ft/ft gradient in the lower bog area. This might indicate that the lower bog is more of a discharge area, as it appears, and that the upper bog is more of area where groundwater is moving more actively. This bog drains into Bridge Creek. Bridge creek drains into a reservoir that contains the drinking water for Homer, AK.
To get credit for this EC please email me answers to the following questions:
1: At what elevation is this bog? Is it characterized as an upland bog or a lowland bog?
2: Which direction does the groundwater below the bog run?
3: What can be seen directly in front of the platform?
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