Western Siberian Peat Core Database (WSPC)

This database compiles information on peat cores (peat profiles or cross-sections) from the Western Siberian Lowland (WSL). It currently includes 654 peat cores. The WSL boundary and peatland extent follow the definitions of Sheng et al. (2004).

The dataset is the result of an extensive literature review of published peat cores and associated palaeoecological proxies. It is based on 99 publications in English and Russian, with an additional 57 publications cited as primary data sources that the authors could not access directly.

Each peat core is represented as a single record and includes:

• a unique ID,
• exact or approximate coordinates,
• coring date (if available),
• age of the deposit and number of dated levels (when available),
• sampling interval (if available),
• information on the availability of 26 identified palaeoecological proxies (dating, pollen, NPPs, plant macrofossil, testate amoebae, microcharcoal, macrocharcoal, oribatid mite, mollusc, diatom, arthropod, zoogenic remains, bulk density, ash content, pH, organic matter, moisture content, peat accumulation, carbon accumulation, degree of decomposition, peat humification, stable isotope, XRF/XRD, FTIR, geochemistry, basal depth),
• the number of proxies applied in each core,
• classification of the core’s location by vegetation zone, permafrost zone, and peatland type,
• references to the original source publications,
• alternative names used for the same core in other publications or databases.

The database contains only metadata about data availability for each peat core – it does not include the primary data themselves.

We plan to expand and update this database annually. Users are encouraged to contribute additional peat core metadata – both newly published and previously existing but not yet included – by completing the form provided in this dataset (WSPC_form.xlsx or WSPC_form.csv).

If you would like to know whether new peat cores have been added to the database but not yet released in a public update, please contact the authors at: aj.halas@twarda.pan.pl

References

Sheng, Y., Smith, L. C., MacDonald, G. M., Kremenetski, K. V., Frey, K. E., Velichko, A. A., Lee, M., Beilman, D. W., and Dubinin, P.: A high-resolution GIS-based inventory of the west Siberian peat carbon pool, Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles, 18, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GB002190, 2004.