An Illustrated Book of Peat: The Life and Deaths of Bogs: A New Synthesis

Description:

2 volumes. The focus of this book is on temperate blanket peat and raised bogs, for which the British Isles are a world centre. Peatlands are much in the public eye these days owing to the important role of peat bogs in carbon storage and sequestration, and their impact on climate change.

Soft material such as peat cannot go on getting thicker for ever, but goes through millennial cycles of growth and erosion. The first three sections of the book look at the long-term dynamic of peat bogs, including why peat forms, how bogs expand in area, why pools form, and the different ways erosion can set in. They include new theories on peat instigation, pool development and erosion processes.

Part 4 relates these processes to land use and climate change, and will be of particular interest to those managing bogs or creating policies for land and carbon management. Appendix G indicates how a carbon calculator can be created to aid the assessment of a peatland’s carbon balance, and also for comparison of the carbon storage potential of peat bogs and woodlands.

The two-volume set also covers Antarctic moss peat, perhaps the simplest peat-forming system in the world, the study of which can aid the understanding of peat growth generally. The types of peat in the Falkland Islands are covered as well.

The 200 pages of this book contain several hundred photographs and diagrams to aid the understanding of peatland processes, some of which are not intuitive. It is targeted at both the specialist and non-specialist, and is essential reading for all those involved in peatland management and policy.