O PROJEKTU | ABOUT THE PROJECT
| MojaSlovenija.si | GEO-X | O PROJEKTU | ABOUT THE PROJECT |
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V šotiščih je hitrost proizvodnje biomase večja od stopnje razgradnje, vendar lahko traja več let, celo tisoče let, da šotišča ali barja postanejo dovolj velika za nabiranje šote. Šota se običajno kopiči s hitrostjo približno milimetra na leto, tako da, kot lahko vidite, ni nekaj, kar bi bilo hitro zamenjati (primerjajte globino jarkov v prostorski predsavitvi, ki jo opazujete). Šota mora nastajati v mokrih razmerah, saj del procesa pomeni, da šota zadržuje vodo. To tudi povzroči širjenje mokrišča. Razlog za to delovanje je, da poplavna ali stoječa voda zmanjša razpoložljiv kisik, kar posledično upočasni stopnjo razgradnje. Če šoto pustimo dovolj dolgo, se začnejo tvoriti fosilna goriva, kot je premog, vključno z nizko kakovostnim premogom, znanim kot lignit. Na Irskem raste mah, imenovan 'Sphagnum Moss', in brez njega šotišč sploh ne bi bilo. Mah, ki je skoraj podoben preprogi, sedi na vrhu razpadajočega rastlinskega materiala. Vse druge, večje rastline rastejo na mahu Sphagnum, vendar je posamezni Sphagnum pravzaprav zelo majhen. Sphagnum mahovi lahko zadržijo tudi do dvajsetkratno lastno težo v vodi. Obstajajo tri glavne vrste šote, šotni material je običajno vlaknasta, hemična ali saprična: Hemične šote so delno razkrojene. Druga vrsta šote se imenuje Phragmites, ki je narejena iz trstične trave, obstajajo pa tudi šote, vključno s Phragmites Australis in drugimi travami. Phragmites šota je običajno gostejša od drugih. Včasih tla z veliko količino organskega materiala imenujemo šota, vendar lahko to povzroči težave, saj ima ta tla slabe lastnosti utrjevanja, zato je ni mogoče uporabiti kot stabilen nosilni material kot so ceste ali zgradbe. Šotišča so se prilagodila ekstremnim razmeram visoke količine vode in nizke vsebnosti kisika, strupenih elementov in nizke razpoložljivosti rastlinskih hranil. Njihova kemija vode se spreminja od alkalne do kisle. Šotišča se lahko pojavijo kjer koli, od tropskih do borealnih, arktičnih območij od morske gladine do visokih alpskih razmer. V sodobni Evropi ima Irska obsežna šotišča, znana kot barja, druga šotišča pa so po vsem svetu v državah, kot sta Finska in Rusija. Šotišča so resnično razširjena po vsem svetu in zdi se, da lahko rastejo kjer koli. Evropska komisija je pospešila ukrepanje proti Irski, ker država ni ustavila poseka šote v posebnih ohranitvenih območjih. Komisija je vladi sporočila, da mora v dveh mesecih ukrepati (2022), da se konča rezanje šote na takšnih območjih, sicer se sooči z obtožbo na Evropskem sodišču. Komisija je dejala, da so posaebna ohranitvena območja "določena ohranitvena območja za visoka barja in pokrita barja v skladu z direktivo EU o habitatih". Evropski zeleni dogovor in strategija biotske raznovrstnosti do leta 2030 priznavata vrednost šotnih barij, za katera je dejal, da so "življenjski ponori ogljika, ko so zdravi". "Njihova zaščita in obnova pomagata Irski pri izpolnjevanju njenih ciljev glede podnebnih sprememb, ne samo pri ohranjanju šote v tleh, ampak tudi pri izogibanju zelo visokim emisijam ogljika in drugim onesnaževalcem zraka, ki nastanejo, ko se šota sežiga kot gorivo," je sporočilo Evropske komisije (2022). Literautra in viri: CUTTING TURF FROM A PEAT BOG IN IRELAND, URl: https://www.shutterspeedireland.com/ (retreived 22.11.2022), povezano: visoko barje |
In natural peatlands, the rate at which biomass is produced is larger than the rate of decomposition but it can take many years, thousands of years even for the peatlands or bogs to become large enough to harvest peat. The peat usually builds up at a rate of about a millimetre per year so as you can see it is not something that would be quick to replace. Peat has to be formed in wet conditions as part of the process means the peat holds water. This also causes the wetland to expand. The reason it works this way is that the flood water or stagnant water reduces the oxygen available which in turn slows the rate of decomposition. If left long enough the peat then begins the formation of fossil fuels such as coal including low-grade coal known as lignite. In Ireland, there is a moss called the Sphagnum Moss and without it, there would be no peatlands at all. The moss which is almost carpet-like sits on top of the decaying plant material. There are three main types of peat, peat material is usually one of Fibric, Hemic, or Sapric: Hemic peats are partially decomposed. Sapric is the most decomposed. Sometimes soil with a high amount of organic material is called peat but this can cause problems as this soil has poor consolidation properties so it cannot be used as a stable material for constructing things like roads or buildings. Peatlands have adapted to extreme conditions of high water and low oxygen, toxic elements and low availability of plant nutrients. Their water chemistry varies from alkaline to acidic. Peatlands can occur anywhere, from tropical to boreal, arctic zones from sea level to high alpine conditions. In modern-day Europe, Ireland has vast peatlands that are known as bogs and there are other peatlands across the world in countries such as Finland and Russia. Peatlands are truly worldwide and seemingly capable of growing anywhere. The European Commission has stepped up the pace of its action against Ireland because of the State’s failure to halt the cutting of peat within Special Areas of Conservation (Sacs). The commission has told the Government it must take action within two months to end cutting in such areas, or face a case at the European Court of Justice. The commission said the Sacs were “designated areas of conservation for raised bogs and blanket bogs under the EU habitats directive”. It said the European Green Deal and the Biodoversity Strategy for 2030 both recognised the value of peat bogs, which it said were “vital carbon sinks when healthy”. “Their protection and restoration assist Ireland in meeting its climate change goals not only in keeping the peat in the ground, but also by avoiding the very high carbon and other air-pollution emissions which are caused when peat is burned as a fuel,” the The EU commission said. Literautre and sources: CUTTING TURF FROM A PEAT BOG IN IRELAND, URl: https://www.shutterspeedireland.com/ (retreived 22.11.2022), related: highpeat swampland |
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| Burger Landmarks / MojaSlovenija.si | Digitalizacija dediščine: (c) Boštjan Burger, (1993) 1996-2024 |
Šota nastaja naravno v daljšem časovnem obdobju, ko se vegetacija ali organske snovi razgradijo. Šoto najdemo na območjih, ki jih imenujemo šotišča ali barja, in Irska je res znana po velikih barjih, ki zagotavljajo obilico šote. V Evropi imata le Finska in Rusija še vedno na voljo ta vir v velikih količinah, čeprav so šotišča v Rusiji večinoma zmrznjena. Znano je, da imajo barja s šotišči natančno uravnotežen ekosistem, ki ga znanstveniki obravnavajo kot izjemno učinkovit ponor ogljika, enega najboljših na Zemlji. Šotišča delujejo tako dobro, ker rastline šotišč zajemajo CO2, ki se sprošča iz šote, kar pomaga ohranjati ravnovesje.
Peat is formed naturally over a long period of time as vegetation or organic matter decomposes. The peat is naturally found in areas that are either called peatlands, bogs or moors and indeed Ireland is well known for its large bogs that provide an abundance of peat. In Europe, only Finland and Russia still have this resource available in large quantities although the peatlands in Russia are mainly frozen solid. The peatland or bogs are known to have a finely balanced ecosystem that is regarded by scientists as an extremely efficient carbon sink, one of the best on Earth. The peatlands work so well because the peatland plants capture CO2 that is released from the peat which helps maintain a balance.