What happens when peatlands are degraded or destroyed?
About 15 per cent of the world’s peatlands, covering less than 0.4 per cent of the global land surface, have been drained. When drained or burned for agriculture (as wetlands often are) they go from being a carbon sink to a carbon source, releasing into the atmosphere centuries of stored carbon.
What are peatlands and how are they formed?
Peat formation is the result of incomplete decomposition of the remains of plants growing in waterlogged conditions. As a result, partially decomposed plant remains accumulate and become compacted, forming peat that changes the substrate chemical and physical properties leading to a succession of plant communities.
What is peate?
Peat (/piːt/), also known as turf (/tɜːrf/), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs.
What are peatlands Why are they important?
Peatlands are a type of wetlands which are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth: they are critical for preserving global biodiversity, provide safe drinking water, minimise flood risk and help address climate change.
Why are peatlands being destroyed?
Peatlands have been at risk for centuries. They are either drained to make way for fertile pasture and cropland, or they are destroyed by the extraction of peat, which is used as a source of energy.
How is carbon released from peatlands?
Peat is partially decomposed plant material – essentially coal in the making. Peat bogs store on average 10 times more carbon per hectare than any other ecosystem, including forests. When peat comes into contact with air, its carbon combines with oxygen in the decomposition process, and is released as carbon dioxide.
What are peatlands geography?
A peatland is an area with a naturally accumulated peat layer at the surface (with or without surface vegetation). According to different definitions, this layer needs to be at least 30 cm thick for a soil to be classified as a peat.
Why are peatlands waterlogged?
Peatlands are terrestrial wetland ecosystems in which waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing. Consequently, the production of organic matter exceeds its decomposition, which results in a net accumulation of peat.
Where are peatlands found?
Where are peatlands found? Peatlands are found in at least 175 countries and cover around 4 million km² or 3% of the world’s land area. The largest peat deposits are located in northern Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia (see below).
Is peat decomposed?
Peats are generally considered to be partly decomposed biomass (vegetation).
How are peatlands carbon sinks?
One place to look is definitely peatlands – and Scotland has plenty of those! Ecosystems like peatlands are capable of absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide known as “carbon sinks,” making them ideal for helping to tackle climate change.
Why are peatlands drained?
Peatlands have been subject to artificial drainage for centuries. This drainage has been in response to agricultural demand, forestry, horticultural and energy properties of peat and alleviation of flood risk.