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The biological features of sphagnum mosses act to create a habitat aiding peat formation, a phenomenon termed 'habitat manipulation'. [3] Soils consisting primarily of peat are known as histosols. Peat forms in wetland conditions, where flooding or stagnant water obstructs the flow of oxygen from the atmosphere, slowing the rate of ...
A peatland that is still capable of forming new peat is called a mire, while drained and converted peatlands might still have a peat layer but are not considered mires as the formation of new peat has ceased. [1] There are two types of mire: bog and fen. [2]
Thus the paludification process includes a shift from forests, grassland or long exposed bare land to peatland. [2] The initiation of this accumulation of organic matter (i.e. peat), can be controlled by both allogenic (i.e. external to the ecosystem) and autogenic (i.e. internal to the ecosystem) factors. [3]
Before the peat harvesting, the peat layer was 6 metres (20 ft) Today, it is at most 1.5 metres (4.9 ft), with some places reduced to the water-retaining subsoil. Peat formation takes a long time – each meter of solid peat takes approximately 1000 years to form. Following World War II, the area was left to nature to regenerate.
The term raised bog derives from the fact that this type of bog rises in height over time as a result of peat formation. They are like sponges of peat moss, full of water, that form a more or less dome shape in the landscape. In Germany, the term Hochmoor (lit. ' high bog ') strictly refers only to the classical, lens-shaped bogs of northwest ...
Peat formation is a natural carbon sink; because the decomposition of the organic matter is slower than its production rate, the surplus accumulates as peat. Their stability has important implications for climate change ; they are among the largest near-surface reserves of terrestrial organic carbon. [ 2 ]
More than 20% of home heat in Ireland comes from peat, and it is also used for fuel in Finland, Scotland, Germany, and Russia. Russia is the leading exporter of peat for fuel, at more than 90 million metric tons per year. Ireland's Bord na Móna ("peat board") was one of the first companies to mechanically harvest peat, which is being phased ...
Tropical peat is a type of histosol that is found in tropical latitudes, including South East Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. [2] Tropical peat mostly consists of dead organic matter from trees instead of spaghnum which are commonly found in temperate peat. [ 3 ]