Shwmae (hello in welsh), good to have you back for the next enthralling instalment of “Bog” Standard; your friendly information portal for all things peaty!

I thought following my rather abstract musings in the first post and generally showing off my hippy credentials a bit too much, it might be a good idea to try and pin down some basic definitions and relationships which are essential to understanding peatlands and their distribution.

Peatlands are inherently unbalanced systems! This “unbalance” is due to the rate of organic matter produced not being matched by that being respired and decomposed. This net productivity results in a surplus of organic material which accumulates into deposits called peat (Figure 1).

 

 Figure 1- Cross Section through a peat deposit

The accumulations of Peat are a product of specific climatic controls that allow for a vegetative cover to grow at a site and for it to be waterlogged; thus providing an organic input into an anaerobic environment; which therefore has a low decomposition rate.

The majority of global Peatlands are found within climatic regions characterised by high humidity and low evaporation rates (meaning there’s generally plenty of water about). A key point to make here is that not only does there need to be water, but that the water body must have a low competency (energy state) in order to provide an environment in which organic material can accumulate.

So you might say that all you really need for peat to form is a low energy, pretty wet sort of a place, or as Moore and Bellamy (1974:9) put it:

“Any surface which reduces the rate of dissipation of the energy, that reduces the competency of the water body, to a level where sediments are no longer carried by traction, can constitute a template for peat formation.”

As anyone can see, that description covers a pretty large area and therefore it’s clear that the most important variables in the form of peatland system produced, is the hydrological balance of the basin and the volume and concentration of minerals in solution (Bellamy and Moore 1974).

 A common subdivision within Peatlands is the distinction made between Minertrophic and Ombrotrophic forms based on the sources of water.

Ombrotrophic: Refers to soils and vegetation that receive all water and mineral inputs from the atmosphere.

Minertrophic: Refers to soils and vegetation that receive the majority of their water supply and minerals from surface or groundwater sources.

Differences in the sources of minerals and water lead to alternative environmental gradients which dictate floristic communities. For example the singular reliance of Ombrotrophic peatlands (Bogs) on atmospheric inputs results in closed systems within a landscape that express high acidity due to the acidic pH of rainfall and low nutrient values. These environments express a plant community predominantly dominated by sphagnum mosses which are adapted to these pressures.   

Alright then, I hope that’s “wetted” the appetite for peatlands (forgive the pun), I’ll be back again soon.

References:

Bellamy, D.J., and P.D, Moore., 1974. Peatlands. London: Paul Elek

Best regards

Matt 

Welcome

Peatlands! Why, you may ask would a 20 year old guy living in the metropolis of London want to write a blog about that? Although I appreciate your concern for my mental health, I hope that within the following entries you, the reader will gain a greater insight into the beauty of these landscapes in both their processes and form and thus allow yourself to get excited by them! Without trying to be overly mushy, there is undoubtedly a joy in discovering nature for yourself; whether that is from an afternoon walk, kayaking down a gorge or studying in a library. So starting as we mean to go on I thought I’d share an extract from Dylan Thomas’; Poem in October that helps me imbue that personal vibe into the science:

     These were the woods the river and sea

                  Where a boy

            In the listening

      Summertime of the dead whispered the truth of his joy   

      To the trees and the stones and the fish in the tide.

            And the mystery

                  Sang alive

      Still in the water and singingbirds.

Beyond the realm of personal appreciation, Peatlands have been recognised formally as described below:

Peatlands are important!

Within the current age of Global Warming Peatlands have risen in importance and thus changed in perception within the public imagination. This change has occurred as scientific research has developed on Peatlands in order to understand the role of the ecosystem within climate dynamics, as well as biodiversity conservation. This trend is in part due to and exemplified by the formation of the convention for “wetlands of international importance” called RAMSAR in 1971. The convention is the first of its type to bring an intergovernmental treaty into action which dictates management policies for a distinct ecosystem. Within the definition set out for wetlands by RAMSAR (see below); peatlands are identified explicitly and therefore can be deemed as sights of international importance. The designation of sights is important not only on an international, but the national and regional scales in order to provide an adequate management service.

Under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) "wetlands" are defined by Articles 1.1 and 2.1 as shown below:

Article 1.1:

"For the purpose of this Convention wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres."

Article 2.1 provides that wetlands:

"may incorporate riparian and coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, and islands or bodies of marine water deeper than six metres at low tide lying within the wetlands".

                                                                                                                                                           (Ramsar 1971)

Well, that’s a brief outline of the why, in all of this. In the next instalment, we will begin on the journey of understanding how you define and delineate peatlands from other ecosystems and differing types of peatland.

Regards

Matt