Groundwater connectivity controls peat burn severity in the boreal plains

Abstract Wildfire is the largest disturbance affecting peatland ecosystems and can typically result in the combustion of 2–3 kg C m −2 of near‐surface peat. We hypothesized that organic soil burn severity, as well as the associated carbon emissions, varies significantly as a function of hydrogeological setting due to groundwater impacts on peat bulk density and moisture content. We measured depth of burn (DOB) in three peatlands located along …