Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

A Snapshot in Time: The Dynamic and Ephemeral Structure of Peatland Soils

Harrington, Laura; Warburton, Jeff

Authors

Laura Harrington



Contributors

Alexandra Toland
Editor

Jay Stratton Noller
Editor

Gerd Wessolek
Editor

Abstract

Peat soil is a heterogeneous mixture of decomposed plant material that has accumulated in a water-saturated environment in the absence of oxygen. The structure of peat varies enormously from partially decomposed plant remains to a fine amorphous colloidal soil.1 Peatlands are landscapes with or without vegetation with a naturally accumulated peat layer at the surface. At first sight, many peatlands may be seen as expansive landscapes, which blanket the terrain with monotonous regularity. However, peatland ecosystems are dynamic ecological entities, constantly changing, growing spreading, and eroding.2 Peat soils are a historic resource for fuel and provide space for the landscape to function: to regulate hydrology, climate, and water chemistry. Peat soils are a major carbon store, but can also release carbon in a degraded state, which adds to atmospheric carbon dioxide and significantly contributes to climate change.3

Citation

Harrington, L., & Warburton, J. (2018). A Snapshot in Time: The Dynamic and Ephemeral Structure of Peatland Soils. In A. Toland, J. Stratton Noller, & G. Wessolek (Eds.), Field to Palette: Dialogues on Soil and Art in the Anthropocene (199-209). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/b22355

Online Publication Date Nov 1, 2018
Publication Date 2018
Deposit Date Nov 4, 2022
Pages 199-209
Edition 1st ed.
Book Title Field to Palette: Dialogues on Soil and Art in the Anthropocene
Chapter Number 18
ISBN 9781138297456
DOI https://doi.org/10.1201/b22355


You might also like



Downloadable Citations