Bog 147341 226187083 2008-07-17T06:18:10Z Blechnic 6713598 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 226164591 by [[Special:Contributions/140.247.237.119|140.247.237.119]] ([[User talk:140.247.237.119|talk]]) Clarify grammar a bit more. {{Otheruses4|the wetland|British slang for toilet|Toilet|the Slavic word "bog"|God|other uses|Bog (disambiguation)}} [[Image:Lütt-Witt Moor-2.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Lütt-Witt Moor]], a bog in [[Henstedt-Ulzburg]] in northern [[Germany]].]] A '''bog''' or '''mire''' is a [[wetland]] type that accumulates [[acid]]ic [[peat]], a deposit of dead plant material &ndash; usually [[moss]]es, but also [[lichen]]s in Arctic climates. Bogs occur where the water at the ground surface is acidic, either from acidic [[ground water]], or where water is derived entirely from [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]], when they are termed [[ombrotrophic]] (rain-fed). Water flowing out of bogs has a characteristic brown color, from dissolved peat [[tannin]]s. Bogs are very sensitive habitats, of high importance for [[biodiversity]]. ==Distribution and extent== Bogs are widely distributed in cold, temperate climes, mostly in the northern hemisphere ([[Boreal]]). The world's largest wetlands are the bogs of the Western [[Siberia]]n Lowlands in [[Russia]], which cover more than [[1 E11 m²|600,000 square kilometres]]. Sphagnum bogs were widespread in northern [[Europe]]. [[Ireland]] was more than 15% bog; [[Achill Island]] off Ireland is 87% bog. There are extensive bogs in [[Canada]] and [[Alaska]] (called [[muskeg]]), [[Scotland]], [[Denmark]], [[Estonia]] (20% bog lands), [[Finland]] (26%), northern [[Germany]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Ireland]], and [[Sweden]]. There are also bogs in the [[Falkland Islands]]. [[Ombrotrophic]] wetlands (of which bogs are an example) are also found in the tropics, with notable areas documented in [[Kalimantan]]; these habitats are forested so would be better called acidic [[swamp]]s. Extensive bogs cover the northern areas of the [[U.S. state]]s of [[Minnesota]] and [[Michigan]], most notably on [[Isle Royale]] in [[Lake Superior]]. The [[pocosin]] of the southeastern United States is like a bog in that it is an acidic wetland but it has its own unusual combination of features. In certain areas such as Ireland and Scotland, coastal bogs are frequently intruded upon by low lying dunes called ''[[Machair (geography)|Machairs]]''. ==Types of bog== Bog habitats may develop in various situations, depending on the climate and topography. The main types are: ===Valley bog=== These develop in gently sloping valleys or hollows. A layer of peat fills the deepest part of the valley, and a stream may run through the surface of the bog. Valley bogs may develop in relatively dry and warm climates, but because they rely on ground or surface water, they only occur on acidic substrates. ===Raised bog=== These develop from a lake or flat marshy area, over either non-acidic or acidic substrates. Over centuries there is a progression from open lake, to marsh and then [[fen]] (or on acidic substrates, valley bog), as silt or peat fill the lake. Eventually peat builds up to a level where the land surface is too flat for ground or surface water to reach the center of the wetland. This part therefore becomes wholly rain-fed ([[ombrotrophic]]), and the resulting acidic conditions allow the development of bog (even if the substrate is non-acidic). The bog continues to form peat, and over time a shallow dome of bog peat develops: a raised bog. The dome is typically a few meters high in the center, and is often surrounded by strips of fen or other wetland vegetation at the edges or along streamsides, where ground water can percolate into the wetland. ===Blanket bog=== {{Main article|Blanket bog}} In cool climates with consistently high rainfall, the ground surface may remain waterlogged for much of the time, providing conditions for the development of bog vegetation. In these circumstances bog develops as a layer "blanketing" much of the land, including hilltops and slopes. Although blanket bog is more common on acidic substrates, under some conditions it may also develop on neutral or even [[alkali]]ne ones, if abundant acidic rainwater predominates over the ground water. Blanket bog cannot occur in drier or warmer climates, because under those conditions hilltops and sloping ground dry out too often for peat to form; in intermediate climates blanket bog may be limited to slopes which do not get direct sunshine. In [[periglacial]] climates a patterned form of blanket bog may occur: [[string bog]]. ===Quaking bog=== ''Quaking bog'' or ''schwingmoor'' is a form of bog occurring in wetter parts of valley bogs and raised bogs, and sometimes around the edges of acidic lakes where bog is beginning to form. The bog vegetation forms a mat half a meter or so thick, floating over water or very wet peat. Walking on this surface causes it to move &ndash; larger movements may cause visible ripples of the surface, or they may even make trees sway. ==Bog habitats== [[Image:Brown Lake Bog OH.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Virgin [[boreal]] acid bogs at Brown's Lake Bog, Ohio. The tree cover is not typical of a bog.]] Bogs are recognized as a significant habitat type by a number of governmental and conservation agencies. For example, the [[United Kingdom]] in its [[Biodiversity Action Plan]] establishes bog habitats as a priority for conservation. Bogs are challenging environments for plant life because they are low in nutrients and very acidic. [[Carnivorous plant]]s have adapted to these conditions by using [[insect]]s as a nutrient source. The high acidity of bogs and the absorption of water by sphagnum moss reduce the amount of water available for plants. Some bog plants, such as [[Chamaedaphne|Leatherleaf]], have waxy leaves to help retain moisture. Bogs also offer a unique environment for animals. For instance, [[England|English]] bogs give a home to the [[boghopper beetle]] and a yellow [[fly]] called the [[Phaonia jaroschewskii|hairy canary fly]]. [[Image:Raselink.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[Sphagnum]] bog vegetation, ''Tříjezerní slať'', [[Šumava]].]] ==Uses== ===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 smoldering blazes, producing smoke and [[carbon dioxide]], thus causing health and environmental problems. After drying, peat is used as a [[fossil fuel|fuel]]. More than 20% 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 extractor 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. The other major use of dried peat is as a [[soil amendment]] (sold as ''moss peat'' or ''sphagnum peat'') to increase the soil's capacity to retain moisture and enrich the soil. It is also used as a [[mulch]]. Some [[distillation|distilleries]], notably [[Laphroaig]], use peat fires to smoke the [[barley]] used in making [[Scotch whisky]]. More than 90% of the bogs in England have been destroyed.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/3942167.stm BBC NEWS | England | Cumbria | Insight into threatened peat bogs<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/water/water/peat_bogs/index.asp The RSPB: Policy<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Other uses=== [[Image:BogHBy.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Bog [[Huckleberry]] at Polly's Cove, [[Nova Scotia]]]] [[blueberry|Blueberries]], [[cranberry|cranberries]], [[cloudberry|cloudberries]], [[huckleberry|huckleberries]] and [[cowberry|lingonberries]] are harvested from the wild in bogs. [[Bog oak]], wood that has been partially preserved by bogs, has been used in manufacture of [[furniture]]. Sphagnum bogs are also used for sport, but this can be damaging. [[All-terrain vehicle]]s are especially damaging to bogs. [[Bog snorkeling]] is popular in England and [[Wales]]. [[Llanwrtyd Wells]], the smallest town in Wales, hosts the World Bog Snorkeling Championships. In this event, competitors with mask, snorkel, and [[Scuba set|scuba]] fins swim along a 60-meter trench cut through a peat bog. ==Archaeology== The anaerobic environment and presence of [[tannic acid]]s within bogs can result in the remarkable preservation of organic material. Finds of such material have been made in [[Denmark]], [[Germany]], [[Ireland]] and the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>C.M.Hogan, ''Haraldskaer Woman'', Lumina Technologies Press, July, 2005</ref> Some bogs have preserved ancient [[oak]] logs useful in [[dendrochronology]], and they have yielded extremely well-preserved [[bog body|bog bodies]], with organs, skin, and hair intact, buried there thousands of years ago after apparent Germanic and [[Celts and human sacrifice|Celtic human sacrifice]]. Excellent examples of such human specimens are [[Haraldskær Woman]] and [[Tollund Man]] in Denmark,<ref>P.V. Glob, ''The Bog People: Iron Age Man Preserved''</ref> and [[Lindow man]] found at [[Lindow Common]] in [[England]]. At [[Ceide Fields]] in [[County Mayo]] in Ireland, a 5000 year old [[neolithic]] farming landscape has been found preserved under a [[blanket bog]], complete with field walls and hut sites. One ancient artefact found in bogs in many places is [[bog butter]], large masses of fat, usually in wooden containers. These are thought to have been food stores, of both [[butter]] and [[tallow]]. ==Fiction and song== [[Gothic Fiction]] is commonly set on a [[moorland|moor]], a type of landscape common in [[Great Britain]] and Ireland which often has extensive bogs. One example is "[[The Hound of the Baskervilles]]", a [[Sherlock Holmes]] story by [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] which is largely set on [[Dartmoor]] and contains the fictional bog ''Grimpen Mire'', said to have been based on [[Fox Tor]] in [[Devon]].{{Fact|date=May 2008}}<!-- A tor is a rocky outcrop, not a bog -- so what was it that Grimpen Mire was based on? --> Several [[comic book]] characters are based on the idea of a half-plant/half-human creature living in a bog, notably [[The Heap]], [[Swamp Thing]], [[Man-Thing]], and [[Solomon Grundy (comics)|Solomon Grundy]]. German [[Industrial music|industrial]] band [[Bigod 20]] had their biggest hit with 1990s "The Bog", in which the narrator, a fell creature living within the bog (or perhaps the bog itself), describes how he's swallowing the listener's body. American [[post-punk]] band [[be your own PET]] also has a song called "Bog", where the singer mentions having drowned her boyfriend in a bog. One of Europe's best-known protest songs, "[[Peat Bog Soldiers (song)|Peat Bog Soldiers]]", was written by prisoners in [[Nazi Party|Nazi]] moorland [[Nazi concentration camps|labour camps]] in the [[Emsland]] and describes their [[penal labour]] in [[drainage|bog drainage]]. ==Trivia== {{Trivia|date=June 2007}} * The last Sunday in July is International Bog Day [http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/index.php?section=places:events:bogday] * ''The Mysterious Bog People'' is a travelling museum exhibition organized by the [[Drents Museum]], Assen, The Netherlands, the [[Niedersachsisches Landesmuseum]], Hannover, Germany, the [[Canadian Museum of Civilization]], Gatineau-Ottawa, Canada and the [[Glenbow Museum]], Calgary, Canada * [[Bog Snorkelling]] is a tongue-in-cheek [[extreme sport]] with competitors swimming through murky water-filled trenches cut into a bog. * The [[UK|British]] town of [[Blackpool]] is believed to get its name from a long gone drainage channel which ran over a [[bog|peat bog]].[http://www.blackpool-stay.co.uk/html/blackpool_history.php] The water which ran into the sea at Blackpool was black from the [[peat]] and formed a "black pool" in waters of the [[Irish Sea]] == See also == {{Commons|Bog}} {{wiktionary|bog}} {| |-valign=top | *[[List of bogs]] *[[List of Raised and Transitional Bogs of Switzerland]] *[[String bog]] *[[Blanket bog]] *[[Bog body]] *[[Bog butter]] *[[Bog iron]] *[[Blackwater river]] | *[[Wetland#Types|Differences between bogs and other wetlands]] *[[Irish Peatland Conservation Council]] *[[Marsh]] *[[Poor fen]] *[[Sods]] *[[Swamp]] *[[Wetland]] *[[Will-o'-the-wisp]] |} == References== {{reflist}} http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0709/bog-bodies/bog-bodies-photos.html?email=Focus24Aug07 ==External links== *[http://www.geographyinaction.co.uk/Landscapes/Landscapes_bog.html Ballynahone Bog] *[http://pages.cthome.net/rwinkler/bog.htm Black Spruce Bog] Describes a forested bog type of North America [[Category:Bogs| ]] [[Category:Landforms]] [[Category:Types of soil]] [[Category:Pedology]] [[Category:Wetlands]] [[ay:Juqhu]] [[br:Taouarc'heg]] [[cv:Шурлăх]] [[cs:Rašeliniště]] [[da:Mose]] [[de:Moor]] [[et:Soo]] [[es:Pantano]] [[eo:Torfejo]] [[eu:Zingira]] [[fr:Tourbière]] [[hr:Tresetište]] [[is:Mýri]] [[it:Torbiera]] [[lv:Purvs]] [[lt:Pelkė]] [[hu:Védett lápok]] [[nl:Veen (grondsoort)]] [[ja:ボグ]] [[no:Myr]] [[nn:Myr]] [[pl:Torfowisko]] [[pt:Paul (ecossistema)]] [[ru:Болото]] [[fi:Suo]] [[sv:Myr]] [[tr:Turba bataklığı]] [[uk:Болото]] [[bat-smg:Liūns]]