"This is kind of an up and coming idea," said Andrew Zimmermann of the University of Florida. "Making what is called 'biochar' to enhance carbon sequestration has potential to be used all over the world." Zimmermann pointed to forests as having even more potential to store carbon by making charcoal, because as trees die, their carbon-rich wood and leaf litter are broken down by microorganisms and released back into the atmosphere. "Peat is already preserving plenty of carbon. What we need is to preserve what is not already being preserved," he said. But poor land management has severely damaged peat bogs, Worrall said, and erosion is already releasing up to 400 tons of carbon per square kilometer of peat each year from its sodden layers. To reverse that trend, close attention to the bogs is needed -- and perhaps even a fire every now and then. "If you do nothing, peatlands are sure to become part of our greenhouse gas emissions," Worrall said. "But if we do something and it's the right thing, we can turn this system around and make it part of the solution." Related Links: |
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