Thread by @queenofpeat

Stay tuned for my top 10 facts about #BadAssBogs! Bogs are weird, logistically challenging & sometimes smelly. But they have fascinating plants, are an archeology & paleoecology resource, & are one of the most efficient stockpiles of carbon in the biosphere. What's not to ♥️?

BogFact 1: Did you know that bogs breathe? The bog surface shrinks & expands as the water table moves up & down. This is a great example of the ecohydrology that makes bogs so unique. The traits of bog plants & soil reinforce the bog sponge -it's adaptive! link.springer.com/article/10.100…

BogFact 2: Bogs are actually quite rare. These are ombrotrophic systems. Ombros=rain; trophic=fed. Scientists gravitate towards bogs because they are closed systems and relative easy to study. But in 🇨🇦 bogs are <10% of peatland cover. Fens (surface & ground water fed) rule!

Brief interlude so I can give a guest lecture on peatlands in a biogeochemistry course at @CUBoulder @CUBoulderENVS. But my fun fact tour of bogs will continue in short order.

BogFact 3: A @CUBoulder class just called me the Lorax of nonvascular plants so lets feature bog plants! Bogs range in tree cover but they commonly have a carpet of Sphagnum moss. Sphagnum thrive in low nutrients but also lower the pH by releasing protons. Cute killer Sphagnum!

BogFact 4: Bogs and peatlands more generally have a 2 gas problem. As sinks of CO2, bogs store ~1/3 of the world's soil C in <5% of the land area. A small area that packs a carbon punch. But bogs also can be sources of CH4. Over the Holocene, bogs have led to global cooling.

BogFact 5: I learned that bodies like the Tolland Man were criminals dumped into the bog. But archaeologists think that bogs were considered resources & supernatural portals. "Among prehistoric people, when you take things you also offer valuable things"
nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/7/14…

BogFact 6: Bogs and permafrost have a special relationship. In the far north, permafrost is found everywhere but in the subarctic & boreal, permafrost is found mainly in bogs! Peat is a thick insulating blanket. Learn more about our research here. theconversation.com/we-mapped-the-…

BogFact 7: Important question - could Artax really succumb to the swamp of sadness? I've had some rough field days, but unless a bog is disturbed it would be rare for an animal or person to sink into peat. But once my hip wader got so stuck in peat that I had to leave it behind.

BogFact 8: Also critical - do fire swamps like in the Princess Bride really exist? In bogs, we often smell H2S, which is produced by microbes in saturated soils. Methane also is produced in these conditions & is flammable, but luckily we don't need to dodge between🔥(or ROUSes)

BogFact 9: In their natural state, bogs are 🔥 resistant. This makes them the most efficient protectors of C in the biosphere, better than trees or biofuels. But, once drained, peatlands can burn deeply. Protecting bogs and rewetting drained bogs is a win for our climate future.

BogFact 10: In a difficult world, we need bogs. Bogs are eerie systems that appeal to the curious, the scientific, the artistic, those who care about our past, & those who care about our future. No matter who you are, I could bring you into a bog & fill you with wonder.