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Geography - Carbon Cycle > Unit 3 > Flashcards

Unit 3 Flashcards

1
Q

What is peat?

A

a soil which is over 80% composed of partially decomposed organic matter, which has accumulated under certain conditions

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2
Q

What conditions are needed for peat to form?

A
  • climate where precipitation exceeds evaporation
  • waterlogged ground (linked with impermeable rock or high water table)
  • oxygen deficiency (anaerobic conditions)
  • acidic conditions
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3
Q

Where is most of the peat in the world found?

A

In the northern hemisphere

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4
Q

How much of the land surface of the U.K is covered in peat? How much Carbon is stored within the UK peat bogs?

A

3 million hectares, 12% of land area of UK

Stores 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon

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5
Q

What are the three main types of peatland?

A
  • Fen peatlands
  • Blanket peatlands
  • Raisedbogs
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6
Q

What are fen peatlands?

A

in areas of low lying topography where ground water meets the surface

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7
Q

What are blanket peatlands?

A

occur on flat hill tops, with impermeable rocks (many igneous and metamorphic rocks), where drainage is impeded

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8
Q

What are Raised bogs?

A

occur in topographical depressions/valley bottoms where drainage of water from the surrounding landscape accumulates

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9
Q

What is an example of a Blanket peatland?

A

The ‘flow country’ Sutherland, Scotland

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10
Q

What is an example of a Fen peatland?

A

East Anglian Fens

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11
Q

What is an example of a Raised bog?

A

Whixhall Moss, Shropshire/Welsh border

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12
Q

What proportion of the global land surface is occupied by peatland?

A

3%

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13
Q

Why is peatland important in the carbon cycle?

A

one of Earth’s major carbon sinks, stores 500 gigatonnes of Carbon

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14
Q

How does peatland form?

A
  1. form in waterlogged areas, with a lack of oxygen, where the water is acidic
  2. in these conditions decomposition is restricted, so dead organic matter DOM doesn’t decompose
  3. over thousands of years the DOM accumulates = carbon preservation
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15
Q

At what rate does DOM accumulate in peat?

A

1mm per year

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16
Q

At the end of the Devensian Glaciation (12000 ybp) what happened that lead to the formation of a raised bog?

A
  • as the glaciers started to melt, it formed lakes in low lying areas
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17
Q

During the Holocene (last 10,000 years) what has happened that lead to the formation of a raised bog?

A

plants grew around the edge of the lakes, when they died they sank and accumulated at the bottom
- after hundreds of years the dead plants (peat) had filled the entire lake and transformed it into fen

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18
Q

What has happened in present day that has lead to the formation of a raised bog?

A
  • new types of plants such as sphagnum moss, colonised the surface of the fen and as they died and accumulated transformed the fen into a bog
  • over the years layers built up, therefore known as a raised bog
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19
Q

How much water can sphagnum moss hold?

A

20x its own weight in water = helping to maintain waterlogged conditions

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20
Q

How does sphagnum moss make the conditions acidic?

A

as it grows it takes up nutrients such as potassium and magnesium ions
- releases H+ ions, making the pH lower
- release sphagnan

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21
Q

What pH is peat typically?

A

4.5

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22
Q

What is sphagnan?

A

a chemical released by sphagnum moss

  • has antibacterial properties and reduces decay of organic matter
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23
Q

In the U.K, what % of the peatlands have been degraded due to human activity?

A

80%

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24
Q

What human activities have lead to the degradation of peatland?

A
  • peat cutting and extraction for fuel and horticulture use
  • drainage and conversion to agricultural land
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25
What is the impact of cutting peat and using it as fuel on the carbon and water cycle?
- releases large amounts of CO2, adding more into the carbon cycle - global warming - water cycle see more droughts, flooding in different areas
26
What is the impact of cutting peat and using it in horticulture on the carbon and water cycle?
- needs to be dried in order to use = destruction of ecosystems - impacts of plants and vegetation, roots cannot hold the soil together = drought, less evapotranspiration
27
What is the impact of draining peat and using it for agriculture or forestry?
- only 2% of bogs are planted with trees, small scale impact - however could affect the microclimate in the area
28
What are the three management strategies for peatland restoration?
- blocking drainage channels - removing invasive shrub trees and species - re-seeding damaged areas with sphagnum moss
29
What is the impact of blocking drainage channels on the carbon and water cycle?
rewet the area, allow the peat to continue to hold the carbon, less released and more absorbed
30
What is the impact of removing invasive shrub and tree species on the water and carbon cycle?
water levels can be monitored, this allows the peat to store carbon once more as the acidic conditions are reestablished
31
What is the impact of re-seeding damaged areas with sphagnum moss on the water and carbon cycle?
- increase in carbon storage - increase in water storage too (sphagnum moss can hold 20x its weight in water)
32
What is the government policy on peatland restoration in the UK (Committee on Climate Change - government advisory body)?
- increase the number of trees planted (13% increased to 17% by 2050) to help reduce co2 levels - use 'controlled release fertilisers' to improve the health of livestock - restore peat = at least 50% of upland peatland and 25% lowland
33
What is the ecosystem service like for a healthy peatland?
- carbon sink, large carbon store - good water quality - plants, consumer - sustainable land use
34
What is the impact on the ecosystem service for an unhealthy peatland?
- carbon source, carbon being released - low levels of biodiversity - not sustainable land use
35
What is the major case study for peatlands?
Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses, Shropshire
36
How large is Whixall moss and how much carbon does it store?
1,000 hectare site stores 3 million tonnes of carbon
37
What is (type of conservation site) it?
NNR (National Nature Reserve) SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) Wetland of International importance
38
When did the drainage and peat extraction first start in Whixall moss?
18th century, but large scale drainage occurred in the 1920's for commercial extraction
39
When was the Whixall moss planted with pine forest?
1960's
40
When was Whixall moss designated as a National Nature Reserve?
1990
41
Where did the funding for Whixall moss come from?
£5m of European funding and funds from the national lottery
42
Who are restoring Whixall moss?
Wildlife trust in partnership with Natural England
43
What where the impacts of commercial peat cutting in Whixall moss on the water and carbon cycle?
- increased flooding, increased surface run off - increased CO2 emissions = global warming
44
What are the four invasive species found in Whixall moss?
- silver burch - purple moor grass - bracken - Scots pine
45
How has purple moor grass impacted on the peatland in Whixall?
- blocks out the sunlight and dominate the area - cannot allow for the growth of bog loving species
46
How has the silver burch impacted on the peatland in Whixall?
- use lots of space and high water intake - ruin the waterlogged conditions
47
What is the impact of ammonia on peatlands?
reduces the acidity of the water
48
What are the main sources of ammonia in Whixall?
- farmers creating slurry pits, when mixed ammonia is created - purple moor grass thrive with ammonia, dominate the area
49
Summary of the issues that Whixall moss faces?
- invasive species = dry the land, create competition for bog loving species e.g. Sphagnum moss - wildfires, when the peat dries out = increased co2 and methane emissions - very hard to restore once it is damaged - 80% of UK peatland has already been destroyed
50
What are the four management strategies in Whixall moss for restoring the peatland?
- Bunding - Dams and Plastic piling - removal of invasive species - re-planting the sphagnum moss
51
How does Bunding work in Whixall moss?
Bunds are embarkments and are approx. 30cm high - reduces surface runoff, helps re wet the peatland be holding rainwater
52
How does dams and piling work in Whixall moss?
dams use nearby good peat to block old drainage ditches plastic piling is the use of plastic sheets which are pushed into the ground around drainage ditches at the edge of bogs
53
How does plastic piling help the peatland in Whixall moss?
helps create slopes allowing rainwater to collect, rewetting the area
54
How does removing invasive species work in Whixall moss?
Invasive plants are removed by hand - to ensure that the peatland is undisturbed
55
How does replanting sphagnum moss help Whixall moss?
speeds up rewetting, sphagnum moss can hold 20x its weight in water
56
What is some examples of wildlife found in Whixall moss?
- birds - butterflies - dragonflies - amphibians and reptiles - spiders
57
What is the name of the rare dragon fly found in Whixall moss?
White faced Darter
58
Summary of the restoration and management of Whixall moss?
- rewetting, building dams - establish Sphagnum moss - reduce the number of competitive species - more sustainable - agriculture techniques centered on paludiculture (farming on wetland)
59
What was Natural England's role in the management of Whixall moss?
- been caring for Whixall moss nature reserve for over 30 years to restore peat - removed invasive species - lead Bog4life project (aimed at restoring bogs in western Europe)
60
What was Shropshire Wildlife trust's role in the management of Whixall moss?
2016 - bought scrapyard on the peat, had been there for 60 years - cleared and regenerated the site - helped restore
61
What was Natural Resources Wales' role in the management of Whixall moss?
- raising water levels project - removed invasive species - created visitor facilities
62
Who funded Natural Resources Wales?
EU's life programme and the National Lottery Heritage Fund
63
What was Marches Mossess BogLIFE project's role in the management of Whixall moss?
- moving drains around the edges of the moss - removing invasive species - capturing rainwater for the growth of sphagnum moss
64
What is the surrounding land use of Whixall moss?
Pheasnat farming, can be let out and they peck aders eyes out (a key species in the moss)

Geography - Carbon Cycle (3 decks)

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