Peatlands

Question 1

definition of a peatland

Answer 1

terrestrial wetland ecosystems with waterlogged conditions that prevent plant material from fully decomposing

Question 2

what exceeds deposition

Answer 2

the production of organic matter

Question 3

3 types of peatlands

Answer 3

boreal, temperate and tropical

Question 4

what is peat

Answer 4

sedentary accumulated material consisting of at least 30% mass of dead organic material

Question 5

peat soils

Answer 5

sedentarily accumulated and have at least 30% organic matter over a depth of at least 45cm on undrained land, 30cm on drained land

Question 6

peatland

Answer 6

geographical area where peat soil occurs and should cover a min. area of 1Ha for mapping purposes

Question 7

how deep were irish peatlands before excavation

Answer 7

up to 12m

Question 8

describe the structure of a peatland

Answer 8

no distinctive boundaries, gradually becomes peat

Question 9

describe the formation of a peatland

Answer 9

organic matter accumulates and is buried, near continuous soil saturation, anaerobic conditions slow decomposition

Question 10

what percentage of total soil carbon is in bogs

Answer 10

33%

Question 11

what percentage of land surface area is covered by bogs

Answer 11

3%

Question 12

in what period of the holocene were peatlands primarily formed

Answer 12

after the last glacial max., ice sheet retreat led to flooding in hollows and a wet landscape-> glacial lakes fill with veg…

Question 13

how is sphagnum an effective peat forming material

Answer 13

sphagnum buildup causes water table to rise, when it dies, the higher water table prevents decay

Question 14

what gas is released when the water table rises

Answer 14

small amount of methane

Question 15

what gas is released when the water table falls

Answer 15

CO2

Question 16

how much greater store of carbon is peatland versus amazon rainforest

Answer 16

deep peat is over 10 x greater store per hectare than amazon forest stores

Question 17

why do peatlands emit some methane

Answer 17

small amount of decomposition

Question 18

name 4 ecosystem services provided by peatlands

Answer 18

provisioning, cultural, regulating and supporting

Question 19

by how much do irish peatlands grow each year

Answer 19

1mm

Question 20

what percentage of Ireland is covered by peatland

Answer 20

21%

Question 21

Are irish bogs rain or groundwater fed

Answer 21

rain fed

Question 22

2 types of blanket bog

Answer 22

LLA (low level Atlantic) and HLM (high level Montaine)

Question 23

how did blanket bogs form

Answer 23

early farmers cut down trees and farmed the soil, rain leached minerals to form iron pan, build up of waterlogged soils suitable for sphagnum mosses

Question 24

how did raised bogs form

Answer 24

in a postglacial landscape, rushes at side of lakes die and accumulate , infilling the basin

Question 25

paludiculture

Answer 25

wet land agriculture

Question 26

what occurs when peat is forested

Answer 26

becomes more compacted as trees remove water from the bog

Question 27

what type of peatland has natural trees

Answer 27

tropical

Question 28

5 impacts of peat drainage

Answer 28

land degradation, biodiversity loss, increase of carbon loss via water, increased fire frequency, increased GHG emissions

Question 29

three reasons why peatlands are drained

Answer 29

afforestation, agriculture, grasslands

Question 30

what are palsa peatlands

Answer 30

permafrost peatlands, frozen

Question 31

4 levels of permafrost frozenness as you travel south

Answer 31

continuous, discontinuous, sporadic, isolated

Question 32

active layer of permafrost

Answer 32

layer that allows plants to grow, thaws out in summer

Question 33

what is the consequence of the active layer of permafrost peatlands deepening

Answer 33

CO2 release

Question 34

what is causing permafrost degradation

Answer 34

more temp change in northern latitudes due to warming - impacted more. increase in rainfall melts ice