Peat is a geological phenomenon made of decayed plants that takes thousands of years to accumulate -- about 8,000 years, in fact, just for a depth of approximately 5.6 metres.
It can be dried and made into fuel (for electricity) and is a natural fertiliser when mixed with soil. Peat is also highly flammable when dry as it is loaded with methane that can cause spontaneous combustion in dry windy weather and, at times, even turn the mouth of rivers bright red or reddish brown when the tannin (plant dye) it contains comes into contact with the sea.
So why all this talk about peat and what does it all have to do with us and a Day Out story in The Gleaner?
Well it all starts, you see, with the
wetlands.
What are wetlands? Lands between
terrestrial (land) and aquatic (sea)
systems covered most of the time by
shallow water.
So what? You might well add. Well, wetlands, commonly called morass, store water that eventually feed into springs and rivers -- it's a type of natural filter, one could say -- so that by the time the water reaches the sea, the amount of fresh water mixed with salt water is decreased. This is important for the coral reefs that surround our shores and which need a high level of salt in the water to grow. Wetlands also filter the 'normal' production of sediment, particles and pollutants, physically trapping them within their roots and using them for plant production or for food for the animals that live in the morass.
ARE WETLANDS ONLY
IMPORTANT AS A FILTER?
Nope. They are the habitat for an amazing array of wildlife, and they help human beings by producing material like rush and wicker for craft items. There is excellent flora for gardens; fence posts for construction; medicines; even food -- fish and, crab for instance. Areas of the morass are also used for farming vegetables and the grazing of cattle and other animals. Used correctly it will continue work hand in hand with humans.
