Abstract
The chemical properties of peat pore water in the basin of the Sebangau River and Lahei district, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, were studied with reference to data for the Cape Ochiishi and Furen Mires, in Eastern Hokkaido, Japan. We analyzed the major ions, pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and redox potential (Eh) of the peat pore water with reference to their vertical profiles. The mires exhibited different correlations between sulfate concentration and pH in peat pore water. A negative correlation between pH and sulfate concentration in the Paduran site implies that sulfuric acid produced by pyrite oxidation originating from the underlying sediment is contributing to pH. However, a positive correlation between pH and sulfate concentration was found in Lahei and the upper Sebangau sites. The present findings suggest that sulfuric acid production by pyrite oxidation is not the dominant acidification process of the peat pore water in the peat lands of the upper basin.
