Taking a leaf out of my distinguished predecessor Bouncing Bertie's book, today I am going to use my Nature Friday slot to give you a wee science lesson.
Our topic today was inspired by a visit this week to the Yorkshire town of Ilkley where, in between visits to a couple of Gail's friends, we went for a walk up on the moor made famous by the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8MWb1FlODQ
It's a lovely place to explore, and I was so excited when I ran into (literally) a deep, dark and squelchy peat bog.
Did you know that the upland areas of Britain hold vast amounts of carbon in their peat covered hills? On a global scale, peat bogs are as important a store of carbon as the Amazon Rain Forest. But in some areas of the UK, human intervention has caused the peat bogs to dry out, and not only is this bad for all the diverse and precious species who live there, but it means carbon previously held in the soil is released to the atmosphere thus contributing to global warming.
So I'm delighted to report that on Ilkley Moor, peatland restoration work is in progress. A key component of this work involves raising the water table to keep the ground saturated, thus retaining the carbon in the soil. A good thing, I think we can all agree?
You'll scarcely believe what I heard Gail saying on Wednesday afternoon...
"I don't care about the climate crisis Nobby, I've decided I really would prefer that the peaty soils round here all stayed dry. And please Nobby, next time we see a black swampy patch of ground, JUST DON'T DIVE IN NOSE FIRST! The path across the bog, constructed of carefully laid stone slabs, is there for a purpose."
And then:
"And how on earth am I supposed to clean you up before we get back to tonight's hotel....?"
Wishing all my friends a Happy Nature Friday!
