%0 Research Notes
%T Mire systems in Finland - special view to aapa mires and their water-flow pattern
%A Laitinen, Jarmo
%A Rehell, Sakari
%A Huttunen, Antti
%A Tahvanainen, Teemu
%D 2007
%J Suo - Mires and peat
%V 58
%N 1
%U http://suo.fi/article/9852
%X An attempt is made in this paper to create two consistent mire typologies, i.e. 1) the Combined Finnish Mire Typology covering all possible mire areas in Finland and 2) the Mire Water Flow Typology for boreal, zonal mire systems, i.e. aapa mires and raised bogs. Furthermore, larger groundwater recharge-discharge patterns concerning mires and the biological significance of morphologic and hydrologic mire classifications are discussed. Zonal mire systems from raised bogs to aapa mires are described as a dominance-based continuum. Local mire systems are subdivided according to factors that impede the formation of mire massifs, which are the essential morphological units of zonal mire systems. Smaller-scale mire units for aapa mires and the acrotelmic flow pattern are presented on the basis of a typical mid-boreal aapa mire system with a raised bog, based on the aerial photograph interpretation. The discussion of the groundwater recharge-discharge pattern and the biological significance of morphologic and hydrologic mire classifications is based on literature.