Climate change alters the hidden microbial food web in peatlands, study shows
The humble peat bog conjures images of a brown, soggy expanse. But it turns out to have a superpower in the fight against climate change.
The humble peat bog conjures images of a brown, soggy expanse. But it turns out to have a superpower in the fight against climate change.
Ecology
Mar 18, 2024
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A new study led by UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography postdoctoral scholar Jennifer Bowen finds that canals used to drain soggy peatlands in Southeast Asia are likely hotspots for greenhouse gas emissions.
Earth Sciences
Mar 11, 2024
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Soils in northern freshwater wetlands, called peatlands, are cold, water-saturated, and acidic. These conditions slow microbes' decomposition of organic matter into greenhouse gases. This process stores carbon in the soil. ...
Environment
Mar 6, 2024
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Peat (turf) is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world. By volume, there are about 4 trillion m³ of peat in the world covering a total of around 2% of global land area (about 3 million km²), containing about 8 billion terajoules of energy.
Losing 5% of the 2.7m hectares of peatland in Britain, would equal UK's annual carbon emissions and risk its climate targets (IUCN). The UK is amongst the top ten nations of the world in the peatland area and has 9-15% of Europe’s peatland area.
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