GGR107H1 Chapter 4: Soil & Agriculture
Document Summary
Mer bleue conservation area, a provincially protected wetland area located in ottawa, ontario classified as a wetland site of international importance. Those plant species are sphagnum moss, bog rosemary, blueberry, cotton grass, cattails, and tamarack. The wetlands provide a specific type of soil (peat) which has occurred due to the last ice age. Canada has the most extensive peat lands in the world, covering 14% of land area. Hosts a number of unusual plant species that are adapted to boggy and acidic conditions. Bogs which are 6m deep took 8000 years to form. Peat lands are natural carbon reservoirs and hold 1/3 of the carbon stored in soils. Through decomposition peat releases soil gasses which function as ghgs in the atmosphere and warming can lead the peat to release these ghgs at a faster rate, and result in positive feedback. Storage of carbon in peat depends on the balance between production and decomposition.