GEOG 106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 31: Burns Bog, Methane Emissions, Ombrotrophic
Document Summary
A bog or peat is a wetland with accumulated dead organic material. It is dominated by layers of peat mosses that holds water like a sponge. It is low in nutrients and high acidity. A bog provide an important range of ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, hydrologic reservoir (suppressing flood, filtering water), and habitat for unique biodiversity. Burns bog in delta bc is a 20 km2 remnant ombrotrophic (dependent on atmospheric moisture for its nutrients) raised bog ecosystem located in the urbanized fraser river. Over the last century, burns bog has been severely disrupted by ditching, peat extraction, urbanization and cranberry farming. There was a recent fire in the summer of 2016 that destroyed part of the land. In 2004, the federal and provincial government together with municipalities and metro vancouver purchased a large portion of the remaining bog to promote ecological recover through restoration and rewetting.
