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Rising sea-levels linked to global warming could pose a significant threat to the effectiveness of the world’s peatland areas as carbon sinks, a new study has shown.
The pioneering new study, carried out by Geographers at the University of Exeter, examined the impact that salt found in sea water has on how successfully peatland ecosystems accumulate carbon from the atmosphere.
The researchers studied an area of blanket bog – a peat bog that forms in cool regions susceptible to high rainfall – at Kentra Moss, in Northwest Scotland.
They discovered that the rate at which the peatland area accumulated carbon was significantly impacted as the concentration of salt rose.
The results indicate that rising sea levels, linked to predicted climate change, could pose a serious threat to the future security of the peatlands because they would inundate areas and deposit more salt, further inland.
The findings feature in respected scientific journal, Scientific Reports, on Wednesday, June 29, 2016.
Dr Angela Gallego-Sala, co-author of the paper and a Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography at Exeter said: “Peatland areas play a crucial role in taking carbon from our atmosphere and storing it”.
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Image: Peatlands via Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
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