peat moss n noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc. Peat is only a minor contributor to the world energy supply, but large deposits occur in Canada, China, Indonesia, Russia, Scandinavia, and the United States. Many countries exploit and sell their peat resources, especially Ireland, Scotland, and Finland. Peat bog near Enschede, Overijssel province, Netherlands. https://www.britannica.com/technology/peat, National Geographic - Education - Peat: The Forgotten Fossil Fuel, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Energy Use of Peat, peatland - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), peat - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The formation of peat is the first step in the formation of coal. If however some growers use peat in plug plants to save costs then other suppliers not using peat may become 'too expensive' and be priced out of the market. Peat is of great importance to our planet: as a carbon store â peat holds more carbon than the combined forests of Britain, France and Germany The peat bogs are lacustrine basins of glacial origin that today contain more ⦠Phenol is a chemical that is produced when peat is burned and during the drying process described above, the malted barley soaks in the phenol which flavours the grain. Some of these include the large red damselfly, the sundew plant and cottongrass. Incredible footage of a massive landslide in Co Donegal has caused dismay, given the impact of the peat ⦠Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Formation. Peat, an organic fuel consisting of spongy material formed by the partial decomposition of organic matter, primarily plant material, in wetlands. Learn more. Peat is hugely important to our planet for lots of reasons. The peat is actually the generic name that is applied to various materials from the decomposition of vegetables, depending on the environmental conditions of the place where they decompose. Peat, fuel consisting of spongy material formed by the partial decomposition of organic matter, primarily plant material, in wetlands such as swamps, muskegs, bogs, fens, and moors. 2: partially carbonized vegetable tissue formed by partial decomposition in water of various plants (such as mosses of the genus Sphagnum) By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Peat definition is - turf. Plant material decomposes more rapidly in groundwater rich in nutrients than in elevated bogs with heavy rainfall. ( piËt) n. 1. a. a compact brownish deposit of partially decomposed vegetable matter saturated with water: found in uplands and bogs in temperate and cold regions and used as a fuel (when dried) and as a fertilizer. Peat definition: Peat is decaying plant material which is found under the ground in some cool , wet... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples P⦠"atriz", "menina", etc. Peat is the product created from organic matters that submerged into the bogs. Peat is vegetable matter which has been partially carbonized due to the way in which it decomposes. The affect of peat (ie the peatiness or smokiness) on whisky is expressed as phenol parts per million (PPM). Peat forms in bogs. They generally develop in cool climates with small seasonal temperature fluctuations and over one meter of rainfall and over 160 rain days each year.Fig. It is also used to soften aquaria water and to mimic habitats for freshwater fish. Although the rate of plant growth in cold regions is very slow, the rate of decomposition of organic matter is also very slow. In other geographical regions peat can be formed from other species of plants that are able to grow in water-saturated conditions. There are a number of uses for it, although the two primary ones are as a type of fuel and as a fertilizer. Maceration tends to yield more uniform shrinkage and a denser and tougher fuel. Cost â Peat is cheap to extract and peat bogs have few other âproductiveâ uses, so it is very cost effective. New types of peat may still be found. For example, in New Zealand peat is formed from members of the Restionaceae while in tropical coastal fringes peat is formed in mangrove. For centuries people have used peat, which is similar to coal, as a fuel for heating. Given that peat harvesting is destructive to wetland habitats, its use as a soil amendment has been discouraged by conservationists. With increased time and higher temperatures, these low-rank coals are gradually converted to subbituminous and bituminous coal and under certain conditions to anthracite. Changing the growing media - Millions of plants are grown each spring. b. ⦠PEAT is listed in the World's largest and most authoritative dictionary database of ⦠Peat bogs can range in depth from six to 16 feet. For example, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Classification peat is an organic soil (Histosol) that contains a minimum of 20% organic matter increasing to 30% if as much as 60% of the mineral matter is clay. Peat is sometimes considered a “slowly renewable energy” and is classified as a “solid fossil” rather than a biomass fuel by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The formation of peat is the first step in the formation of coal. Britannica Kids Holiday Bundle! Although peat is not strictly a fossil fuel, its greenhouse gas emissions are comparable to that of fossil fuels. Industrial turf harvesting involves huge tractors that scrape peat from the surface of bogs. The presence of oxygen (aerobic conditions) is necessary for fungal and microbial activity that promotes decomposition, but peat is formed in waterlogged soils with little or no access to oxygen (anaerobic conditions), largely preventing the complete decomposition of organic material. Peat definition, a highly organic material found in marshy or damp regions, composed of partially decayed vegetable matter: it is cut and dried for use as fuel. The peat is washed down by a high-pressure water jet, and the pulp runs to a sump. And with the level of peat smoke in each whiskey differing, the peaty-ness will vary from whiskey to whiskey. In these nations, blocks are readily available as a fuel source, a⦠Dried peat burns readily with a smoky flame and a characteristic odour. Similar to coal, these briquettes contain the energy of the dead plants. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In the lowland humid tropics, peat is derived mostly from rain forest trees (leaves, branches, trunks and roots) under near constant annual high temperatures. The Whisky Peat Scale. Siobhán's Irish Firewood is this traditionally harvested, rough Irish turf. Pile of peat (near Ardbeg) Peat is used for domestic heating purposes as an alternative to firewood and forms a fuel suitable for boiler firing in either briquetted or pulverized form. ( as modifier ): peat bog. The addition of organic matter to soil helps aid nutrient provision, optimizes water management and potentially sequesters carbon thus helping mitigate climate change. Peat moss (Sphagnum) is one of the most common constituents of peat. 2.Typical blanket mire. Said more succinctly, itâs sort of like coal, but much softer, and can be used as fuel. The water drains off the peat very fast and turns the soft slices into hard briquettes. It isâ¦. Although peat production was mechanized and industrialized in…. It is also one of the most diverse and rich ecosystems in the world. Definitions of peat vary across disciplines and between authorities for different purposes and there is no universal agreement that is applicable in all circumstances. Peat mosses are home to many life forms that have adapted to their surroundings. The UK alone has around 13 percent of the total global blanket mire area. NOW 50% OFF! Aqui encaixam-se também os substantivos compostos compostos. Over time, peat deposits have the potential to evolve into coal. Although peat is created under specific conditions (waterlogging, lack of oxygen or nutrients, high acidity or low temperatures), peat can be found in many types of wetlands. With increasing depth of burial and increasing temperature, peat deposits are gradually changed to lignite. Peat is only a minor contributor to the world energy supply. There is disagreement on the minimum thickness of the soil surface organic layer and the minimum percentage of organic matter in it between different definitions of peat. In horticulture, peat is used to increase the moisture-holding capacity of sandy soils and to increase the water infiltration rate of clay soils. Peat may be distinguished from lower-ranked coals on the basis of four characteristics: peats generally contain free cellulose, more than 75 percent moisture, and less than 60 percent carbon, and they can be cut with a knife. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Bogs are a type of wetland with a high acid content. It is the precursor material from which coals are derived, and the process by which peat is formed is studied in existing swamps in many parts of the…, For centuries hand-cut peat, or turf, was the rural population’s principal domestic fuel. Peat soil is very important. The peat slippage in Co Donegal sent trees coursing downhill. Peat accumulates extremely slowly and bogs are often thousands of years old leading to peat being broadly classified as a fossil fuel. âPeatyâ is the term used to describe the flavor profile that results from the smoke with tasting notes like cereal-y, grassy, herbal and nutty. Peat may be cut by spade in the form of blocks, which are spread out to dry. Some wetlands result from high groundwater levels, whereas some elevated bogs are the result of heavy rainfall. Peat-swamp forest also provides important ecosystem services such as flood control, clean water supply, and food. Four-peat definition is - a fourth consecutive championship. There are 6 principal global types:(1) Blanket mires: Rain-fed, generally 1-3 m deep. The formation of abundant peat was not possible before land plants spread widely during and after the Devonian Period (beginning approximately 419.2 million years ago). 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