Bog

A bog is a wetland type that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material. The term peat bog in common usage is not entirely redundant, although it would be proper to call these sphagnum bogs if the peat is composed mostly of acidophilic moss (peat moss or Sphagnum spp.). Lichens are a principal component of peat in the far north. Moisture is provided entirely by precipitation and for this reason bog waters are acidic and termed ombrotrophic (or cloud-fed) which accounts for their low plant nutrient status. Excess rainfall outflows giving bog waters a distinctive tan colour.

Uses of bogs

Industrial uses

A bog is a very early stage in the formation of coal deposits. In fact, bogs can catch fire and often sustain long-lasting smouldering blazes, producing smoke and CO2 causing health and environmental problems. After drying, peat is used as a fuel. More than 20 percent of home heat in Ireland comes from peat, and it is also used for fuel in Finland, Scotland, Germany, and Russia. Russia is the leading producer of peat for fuel at more than 90 million metric tons per year. Ireland's Bord na Móna (peat board) was one of the first companies to mechanically harvest peat.

Related Topics:
Coal - Fuel - Bord na Móna

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The other major use of dried peat is as a soil amendment (sold as moss peat or sphagnum) to increase the soil's capacity to retain moisture and enrich the soil. It is also used as a mulch.

Related Topics:
Soil amendment - Mulch

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Some distilleries, notably Laphroaig, use peat fires to smoke the barley used in making scotch whisky.

Related Topics:
Distilleries - Laphroaig - Barley - Scotch whisky

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These industrial uses of peat threaten the continued existence of bogs. More than 90 percent of the bogs in England have been destroyed.

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Other uses

Crops of blueberries, cranberries and lingonberries are grown in bogs.

Related Topics:
Blueberries - Cranberries - Lingonberries

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Sphagnum bogs are also used for sport, but this can be damaging. Bog snorkelling is popular in England and Wales and has even produced the associated sport of mountain bike bog snorkelling. Llanwrtyd Wells, the smallest town in Wales, hosts the World Bog Snorkelling Championships. In this event, competitors with mask, snorkel, and SCUBA fins swim along a 60-meter trench cut through a peat bog.

Related Topics:
Bog snorkelling - Wales - Llanwrtyd Wells - SCUBA

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The last Sunday in July is International Bog Day.

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Bog is also a United Kingdom slang word for toilet.

Related Topics:
United Kingdom - Slang - Toilet

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