Two problems: 1. Peatland formation is a slow process - far too slow to sequestrate but a tiny fraction of CO2 emissions as they occur. 2. The first priority must surely be to stop peatland destruction which is proceeding apace across the tropics but especially in Indonesia, where swamp forests are being cleared, drained, and converted to palm oil plantations to provide Europe with "low carbon" biodiesel. See for example http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0722-pt-best-violation-satgas.html#
Oliver. On Saturday, August 11, 2012 11:26:59 AM UTC+1, andrewjlockley wrote: > > Posters note - This is a new and promising technique > > http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/370/1974/4404.short > > Peatland geoengineering: an alternative approach to terrestrial carbon > sequestration > > Christopher Freeman, Nathalie Fenner* and Anil H. Shirsat > > Terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems contribute almost equally to the > sequestration of ca50 per cent of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, and already > play a role in minimizing our impact on Earth’s climate. On land, the > majority of the sequestered carbon enters soil carbon stores. Almost > one-third of that soil carbon can be found in peatlands, an area covering > just 2–3% of the Earth’s landmass. Peatlands are thus well established as > powerful agents of carbon capture and storage; the preservation of > archaeological artefacts, such as ancient bog bodies, further attest to > their exceptional preservative properties. Peatlands have higher carbon > storage densities per unit ecosystem area than either the oceans or dry > terrestrial systems. However, despite attempts over a number of years at > enhancing carbon capture in the oceans or in land-based afforestation > schemes, no attempt has yet been made to optimize peatland carbon storage > capacity or even to harness peatlands to store externally captured carbon. > Recent studies suggest that peatland carbon sequestration is due to the > inhibitory effects of phenolic compounds that create an ‘enzymic latch’ on > decomposition. Here, we propose to harness that mechanism in a series of > peatland geoengineering strategies whereby molecular, biogeochemical, > agronomical and afforestation approaches increase carbon capture and > long-term sequestration in peat-forming terrestrial ecosystems. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/geoengineering/-/CGob2PdZxCEJ. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en.
