Bog

A bog is a peat-accumulating wetland fed mainly by precipitation rather than groundwater or streams. Its acidic, nutrient-poor conditions support distinctive plant communities.

Peat: Partly decomposed plant material that accumulates in waterlogged environments. Slow decomposition lets plant remains build into the deep deposits characteristic of bogs.
Wetland: An ecosystem where water saturates or covers the soil for part or all of the year. Bogs are one kind of wetland, distinguished by peat accumulation and precipitation-fed water.
Carbon sink: A system that absorbs and stores more carbon than it releases over a defined period. Accumulating peat stores carbon that would otherwise return to the atmosphere through decomposition.
Great Dismal Swamp: A large, forested wetland spanning southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Despite its name, it includes extensive peat deposits and bog-like habitats.
Sphagnum: A genus of mosses that retains water and acidifies its surroundings. Many bogs depend on Sphagnum growth to maintain wet, acidic conditions and accumulate peat.
Fen: A peat-forming wetland supplied by groundwater or surface water, often richer in minerals than a bog. Fens receive mineral inputs that precipitation-fed bogs generally lack.
Peatland restoration: The repair of degraded peatland ecosystems, often by restoring water levels and vegetation. Rewetting drained bogs can reduce carbon losses and support peat-forming plants.
Flow Country: A vast area of blanket bog and peatland in northern Scotland. Its extensive peatlands exemplify blanket-bog landscapes and their conservation challenges.
Ombrotrophy: The condition of receiving nutrients and water chiefly from precipitation. Ombrotrophy explains why bogs are isolated from mineral-rich groundwater inputs.
Marsh: A wetland dominated by herbaceous plants, often with standing water and mineral-rich soils. Marshes usually lack the thick peat and nutrient-poor conditions typical of bogs.

Linked from 17 pages