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Global warming predicted to hasten carbon release from peat bogs
November 07, 2008Billions of tons of carbon sequestered in the world's peat bogs could be released into the atmosphere in the coming decades as a result of global warming, according to a new analysis of the interplay between peat bogs, water tables, and climate change.
Such an atmospheric release of even a small percentage of the carbon locked away in the world's peat bogs would dwarf emissions of manmade carbon, scientists at Harvard University, Worcester State College, and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology write in the current issue of the journal Nature Geoscience.
"Our modeling suggests that higher temperatures could cause water tables to drop substantially, causing more peat to dry and decompose," says Paul R. Moorcroft, professor of organismic and evolutionary biology in Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. "Over several centuries, some 40 percent of carbon could be lost from shallow peat bogs, while the losses could total as much as 86 percent in deep bogs."
Typically found at northerly latitudes, peat bogs are swampy areas whose cold, wet environment preserves organic matter, preventing it from decaying. This new work shows how peat bogs' stability could be upset by the warming of the earth, which has disproportionately affected the higher latitudes where the bogs are generally found.
Each square meter of a peat bog contains anywhere from a few to many hundreds of kilograms of undecomposed organic matter, for a total of 200 to 450 billion metric tons of carbon sequestered in peat bogs worldwide. This figure is equivalent to up to 65 years' worth of the world's current carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning.
"Peat bogs contain vast stores of carbon," Moorcroft says. "They will likely respond to the expected warming in this century by losing large amounts of carbon during dry periods."
Moorcroft and his colleagues simulated the responses of two peat bogs in northern Manitoba to temperature increases of 4 degrees Celsius, or 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit, a gain that is at the conservative end of estimates for the next 100 years. Their modeling looked specifically at water table dynamics, since peat bogs' stability is grounded in their cold, waterlogged nature.
"Previous modeling has assumed that decomposition in peat bogs is like that in a conventional soil," Moorcroft says. "Ours is the first simulation to take a realistic look at the interaction between the dynamics of the water table, peat temperatures, and peat accumulation."
Moorcroft plans to continue the research by expanding his group's analysis of peat bogs and water tables to global scales.
Harvard University
Typically found at northerly latitudes, peat bogs are swampy areas whose cold, wet environment preserves organic matter, preventing it from decaying. This new work shows how peat bogs' stability could be upset by the warming of the earth, which has disproportionately affected the higher latitudes where the bogs are generally found.
Each square meter of a peat bog contains anywhere from a few to many hundreds of kilograms of undecomposed organic matter, for a total of 200 to 450 billion metric tons of carbon sequestered in peat bogs worldwide. This figure is equivalent to up to 65 years' worth of the world's current carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning.
"Peat bogs contain vast stores of carbon," Moorcroft says. "They will likely respond to the expected warming in this century by losing large amounts of carbon during dry periods."
Moorcroft and his colleagues simulated the responses of two peat bogs in northern Manitoba to temperature increases of 4 degrees Celsius, or 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit, a gain that is at the conservative end of estimates for the next 100 years. Their modeling looked specifically at water table dynamics, since peat bogs' stability is grounded in their cold, waterlogged nature.
"Previous modeling has assumed that decomposition in peat bogs is like that in a conventional soil," Moorcroft says. "Ours is the first simulation to take a realistic look at the interaction between the dynamics of the water table, peat temperatures, and peat accumulation."
Moorcroft plans to continue the research by expanding his group's analysis of peat bogs and water tables to global scales.
Harvard University
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Peat Bogs Current Events and Peat Bogs News RSSAlternatives to pine bark and peatmoss identified for commercial, home gardens
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Study of guanacos launched in Chile
The Wildlife Conservation Society has launched a study in Chile's Karukinka reserve on Tierra del Fuego to help protect the guanaco - a wild cousin of the llama that once roamed in vast herds from the Andean Plateau to the steppes of Patagonia.
Heavy metals in the Peak District -- evidence from bugs in blanket bogs
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Greenhouse gas from English streams
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'Hellish' hot springs yield greenhouse gas-eating bug
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Northern bogs may have helped kick-start past global warming
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Methane found in desert soils bolsters theories that life could exist on Mars
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Upland birds in peril from climate change
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The Archives of Peat Bogs by Sir Harry Godwin (Author) Sir Harry Godwin has written a companion volume to his widely acclaimed Fenland: its ancient past and uncertain future. He follows the same historical approach that made Fenland so interesting. Vast rain-fed peat bogs still cover the landscape of northern and western Britain, their ecology, vegetation and flora unfamiliar to most of our population. Yet, through the millennia since last Ice Age, they have accumulated ever-deepening acidic peat, whose plant remains are a precious archive of the events of the past. Upon investigation, the reconstructed bog vegetation gave clues to former climatic history, pollen analysis provided a chronological scale dependent upon changes in upland forest composition and archaeological objects from the Mesolithic to the Roman period were recovered by... |
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1880 Turner'S Liber Studiorum Peat Bog Scotland Country by old-print Old Antique Historical Victorian Prints Maps and Historic Fine Art ----------. 1880 Turner'S Liber Studiorum Peat Bog Scotland Country Page From The Illustrated London News An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper Date As Shown On Top Of Page Or In Title Genuine Clearance As Purchased From An Old Antique Print Dealer From A Quality Lot Purchased At Auction Bargain Clearance Sale Up To 90% Off Size Approx Inches 16 X 11 (410X280)All Are Genuine Antique And Not Modern Copies |
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Songs of Free Men/ A Paul Robeson Recital Anonymous (Composer), American Anonymous (Composer), Marc Blitzstein (Composer), Harry T. (Henry) Burleigh (Composer), George H. Clutsam (Composer), Peter DeRose (Composer), Isaak Iosifovich Dunayevsky (Composer), Ivan Ivanovich Dzerzhinsky (Composer), Lehman Engel (Composer), Stephen Foster (Composer), George Gershwin (Composer), Alexander Grechaninov (Composer), Jerome Kern (Composer), Lev Konstantinovich Knipper (Composer), Felix Mendelssohn (Composer), Modest Mussorgsky (Composer), Avery Robinson (Composer), Earl Hawley Robinson (Composer), Oley Speaks (Composer), Lily Theresa Strickland (Composer) There was nothing like the Robeson sound, ever. To describe his deep, rich, perfectly equalized instrument is futile. Go instead to "Balm in Gilead," the opening track, and see if you can listen to the last pianissimo phrase without falling to pieces. Robeson was at his best when the music was slow and the words contained spiritual or social messages. Faster, lighter fare like Kern's "I Still Suits Me" or Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" find the serious-minded singer out of his element, lacking irony and swing. "Old Man River," though, gets a simple, dignified treatment. It's Songs of Free Men, though, that will just keep Robeson's artistry rolling along, especially in Sony's astonishing transfers. --Jed Distler |
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Timberland Pro Men's Peat Bog Lace-Up 8" Wp Workboot,Brown,8 W by Timberland PRO The Timberland Men's Waterproof Peat Bog Lace-Up 8 Inch Workboot is created exclusively for working professionals who need the best durability, comfort and protection on the job. Rugged outside and comfortable inside, our workboots stand up to the most rigorous worksite demands and provide protection against common hazards. |
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Investigation of the peat bogs and peat industry of Canada during the season 1908-9 by Erik Nystrom (Author), S. A. Anrep (Author) | |
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![Short-term effects of an exceptionally hot and dry summer on decomposition of surface peat in a restored temperate bog [An article from: European Journal of Soil Biology]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5181X68EJYL._SL160_.jpg) |
Short-term effects of an exceptionally hot and dry summer on decomposition of surface peat in a restored temperate bog [An article from: European Journal of Soil Biology] by S. Glatzel (Author), S. Lemke (Author), G. Gerold (Author) This digital document is a journal article from European Journal of Soil Biology, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Description: The restoration of drained peat bogs in Northwest (NW) Europe is an important task of soil protection, but needs to cope with warmer and drier summers. Our examination took place in the Pietzmoor bog (Schneverdingen, NW Germany) that had been drained for fuel peat extraction until the 1970s and rewetted since then. We determined carbon dioxide (CO"2) efflux in situ and in laboratory incubations. Also, we analyzed pore water for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total and dissolved organic N (DON),... |
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Peat Bog Scotland By Jmw Turner Antique Print 1880 by old-print Old Antique Historical Victorian Prints Maps and Historic Fine Art----------. Peat Bog Scotland By Jmw Turner Antique Print 1880 Page From An Issue 1880. The Illustrated London News . These Wood Engravings From Sketches, Would Make An Ideal Gift For Christmas Or Birthday. The Actual Date Is Printed On Each Page.This Engraving Is Over 124 Years Old. And Is Not A Modern Copy . These Images Are Scanned At Low Resolution For Quick Uploading And Are Much Better Than The Scanned Image. . Size Of Print Is Approx 14" X 9.1/2" If It Is Shown As Whole Page, Or Prorata. . Approx. Page Size = 16" High X 11" Wide . Ready To Matt And Frame. These Old Prints Really Look Great With Matt And Framed. . Note This Print Is From A Periodical And Has Printing On Reverse. . |
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