Methods of multivariate data analysis applied to the investigation of fen soils

Fen soils from two sites of the Rhin-Havel-Luch, a peatland in the north-east of Germany, have been investigated. The samples have been collected in two horizons, representing different degrees of degradation and mineralisation of peat. Gravimetric measurements, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), elemental analysis, and ¹H low resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (LR-NMR) of the fen soil samples have been performed. By multivariate analysis of all the experimental data, especially by the principal component analysis (PCA) and by the cluster analysis, respectively, it was possible to classify the fen soils, to identify their characteristic properties, to detect temporal and local variations, and to prove representative field sampling. Furthermore, the correlation between variables of the applied analytical methods could be interpreted in context to the composition of fen soils and mutual influences of their properties.