Climate change may alter the hydrology in Acid Peatlands across northern Minnesota.

Peatlands function in a relatively narrow window of water table conditions and can respond in a matter of years to water table changes. Higher water levels could result in a transition to open peatland systems, but lower water levels could allow other forest types to invade as peat layers dry and decompose. The effects of roads, beaver dams, drainage ditches, or other watershed modifications may be intensified by climate change. Acid Peatlands typically occur on perched water tables without connection to groundwater. Therefore, these systems are even more vulnerable to water level changes than Forested Rich Peatlands.