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Writing for BBC Wildlife Magazine

I've started writing for the BBC Wildlife Magazine as one of their 'experts' answering questions.

So far I've written about the following:

• How wet are wetlands?
• Could mangroves grow in the UK?
• How have wolves changed the flow of rivers? 

I've got some more questions to come and it's a real pleasure to write for the magazine that helped inspire my interest in natural history.

BBC Science Cafe - review of the year 2015

At the end of last year I was invited by BBC Wales' Science Cafe to review some of the big science news stories of 2015. 

The programme's presenter, Adam Walton, spoke to myself Dr Stephanie Wilson, also from Bangor University, and Dr Chris North from Cardiff School of Physics and Astronomy.

For more details on the show visit the page on the BBC Science Cafe website.

I spoke about the peat forest fires in Indonesia, the recent flooding in the UK and COP21.

It's always great to help with the Science Cafe series though I wasn't quite sure how to take being introduced by Adam as 'the Mud Doctor'!

Follow the link the listen to BBC Science Cafe - review of the year 2015.

BBC Science Cafe visit the Migneint blanket bog

I recently appeared on a programme for BBC Radio Wales' Science Cafe series, in which I talked about the Migneint blanket bog in Snowdonia.

It was a really fun show to be involved with as I got to walk around the site with the presenter, Adam Walton, and explain about the importance of such ecosystems.

The idea for the Migneint programme came after a conversation between myself and the producer of the Science Cafe, so it was great to be involved with it from the start.

You can listen to the programme here: BBC Radio Wales Science Cafe

I also wrote a press release for Bangor University, which can be read below, or by following the link: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/biology/news/bangor-university-wetland-scientists-star-in-bbc-show-24304


Bangor University wetland scientists star in BBC show

Wetland scientists from Bangor University have featured in a BBC show on one of Wales’ most important habitats.

Two members of the Bangor Wetlands Group at the  School of Biological Sciences appeared on BBC Radio Wales’ popularScience Café series.

Prof Chris Freeman and Dr Christian Dunn spoke to the programme’s host, Adam Walton, about the importance of the Migneint – a vast area of blanket bog in North Wales.

Dr Christian Dunn, who runs the Wetland Science and Conservation MSc at Bangor University said:
“It was great that Adam and the Science Café team were interested in seeing the Migneint.

“These areas of peatlands, which literally blanket some of our mountains, often get overlooked but they’re incredibly important wetlands for a whole host of reasons.

“Not only do they provide unique habitats for animals and plants but they can help prevent flooding, affect the quality of our drinking water and even control climate change – due to the amount of carbon stored in them.”

Prof Chris Freeman, who is the head of the School of Biological Sciences, said: “It’s always good to show people just how important our peatlands are and to highlight some of the work we’re doing here at Bangor University on the subject.

“The Migneint is a stunning place and a lot of important research has been done there.”

“It does obviously rain there quite a bit though; fortunately the weather was great when the Science Café came so they had a great day exploring the site and no-one got their feet too wet!” he added.

The programme is available to listen to from the BBC Science Café website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06dpyx7

Make an affordable desktop aquaponic system

Aquaponics is the process of growing plants using water from a stock of fish - crucially the plants act as filter, cleaning the water so it can be returned to the fish.

This creates a self-sustaining cycle with the dirty water from the fish tank feeding the plants and the returned  clean water keeping the fish healthy.

In terms of growing plants, aquaponics is basically just a standard hydroponic system using the waste water from a fish tank as the nutrient solution.

I'd read about aquaponic systems but never really seen one working, so I decided to build one myself.

I wanted to make a small system which could fit on my desk, be cheap and relatively portable incase was needed it for lectures or demonstrations.

The design I came up with was really simple, affordable and quick to make, and involved using two stackable plastic storage containers.

Stackable plastic storage containers used to make the
desktop aquaopnics system

The fish would be in the bottom container and the plants, growing in gravel, in the top.

I drilled a hole in the top container and attached some simple plumbers' pipe, which allowed me to adjust the level of the water reservoir in this container.

Gravel was added to the top container to such a depth it was about 2cm above the new outlet pipe.

I put a simple plastic container over the outlet pipe which still allowed water to flow out, but stopped any gravel blocking the outlet or falling down it.

A pump was then used to move a steady stream of water from the bottom container to the top one.

Although the constant trickle of water from the outlet pipe of the top container, may have been enough to oxygenate the water for the fish I added an additional air pump to the bottom container, just in case.

The outlet in the top container of the
desktop aquaponics system

After letting the system settle for a while I bought two goldfish and a pot of basil - a plant which apparently does well in these systems.

I added the fish to the bottom container, rinsed the soil off the basil and planted it in the gravel and that was it.

Altogether the whole aquaponics system has cost around £30 (about $50) and is pretty compact and portable.

The system has now been running for just under four weeks on my desk near a large window and I'm amazed at how successful it's been so far.

The water in the bottom container looks relatively clear, the fish seem healthy and the basil is flourishing.

The ease and success of such an aquaponics system has really got me thinking about the potential of aquaponics, in terms of providing a relatively sustainable source of food and their use in urban farming.

Although I'm still debating whether an aqaupnoics system could be classified as a wetland - I certainly think they need some more research!

Desktop aquaponics system - after set-up 

Desktop aquaponics system - four weeks after set-up. Fish and plants doing well.  

Wetland conservation at Countess of Chester Country Park

I recently visited the Countess of Chester Country Park and was delighted to see areas of wetlands featuring so heavily there.

The park is just next to Chester's main hospital and was officially opened last year.

Whilst my eldest daughter was receiving some treatment the other week I went for a walk and found that the designers of the park have included plenty of wetland areas.

I think this is absolutely fantastic and shows that we really are starting to appreciate our wetlands nowadays.

The wetland areas aren't huge and could easily have been drained but they haven't, instead they've been preserved, protected and even enhanced.

It's fantastic that wetland conservation is now being considered and taken seriously on so many levels.

These wetlands will provide a great habitat for many different plants, birds and animals and the clever design of the park means that visitors will be able to get really close to them without getting their feet wet.

Those of us involved in wetland science and wetland conservation are often explaining the value of the ecosystem services provided by wetlands.

Maybe one of those overlooked services is the importance for human health and well being, which walking around such special places can have on us.

Wouldn't it be great to think that spending time around the nearby wetlands could help improve the recovery of some of the hospital's patients?

My praise for the wetlands at the Countess of Chester Country Park in the Chester Chronicle

Constructed Farm Wetlands (CFW) research

One of the latest research projects I've set-up at Bangor University combines two of my interests - wetlands (obviously!) and agriculture - by investigating the use of Constructed Farm Wetlands (CFWs)

The work is being supported by some great folk at Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and aims to ensure farmers and policy makers in Wales are better informed about the use and application of CFWs.

As the name suggests Constructed Farm Wetlands are a type of treatment wetland which can be used by farmers to help clean-up surface run-off water from farmyards and fields, before it enters the watercourse.

There's even evidence they can be used to store carbon and improve soil fertility, which could be one of the angles we study as the project develops.

Should SuDS be renamed?

Wetland scientists really do have the most exciting conversations -  for example a recent discussion in our labs involved whether SuDS should be renamed.

SuDS, stand for Sustainable Drainage Systems, or Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, if you prefer the uppercase 'U' acronym.

The term encompasses a whole range of practices and developments to drain surface water in a more controlled manner than standard drains.

Their use and application is increasing in many countries, including the UK where flooding is considered a growing problem.

Many SuDS feature wetland systems to control water flows and even treat runoff  by removing harmful pollutants.

However, as wetland scientists we feel that the term 'wetlands' is not given enough prominence or credit when SuDS are referred to.

Then again, we often think this about anything that doesn't praise wetlands enough!

Anyway, we'd like SuDS which include wetland systems to be given their very own classification.

After many hours of intense debate we came up with a new term to include all such SuDS and wetlands which are built to be used to aid drainage of surface water in some way.

We propose such a wetland should be called a Constructed Drainage Wetland (CDW).

Catchy (-ish) and goes with a range of other, more established, wetland classifications such as Constructed Farm Wetland (CFW), and Constructed Treatment Wetland (CTW).

Admittedly, not really a renaming of SuDS - just a tweaking of sub-categories to give wetlands the credit they deserve!

Parachuting beavers into the UK?

The news that the government plans to remove the first colony of wild beavers seen in England for 500 years has caused huge controversy.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is believed to be worried about the impacts and consequences of beavers living on the River Otter in Devon.

It is reported that Defra plans to capture and rehome the beavers in a zoo or wildlife park - while a petition has been set up urging the government to leave the animals alone.

The small beaver colony, discovered earlier this year, is thought to be the first of its kind in England for around 500 years.

Until then beavers would have been a common sight along the country's rivers -  which has led many environmentalists and conservationists to call for their reintroduction to our waterways.

Such a reintroduction, if one is ever given the greenlight, is likely to involve very small numbers of beavers on targeted river sections.

Parachuting beavers...

However, the translocation of beavers has not always been conducted in such a sedate manner.

Indeed in the 1940s beavers were actually parachuted into areas of America: literally, strapped to parachutes and thrown out of aeroplanes!

One of those involved in the parachuting-rodent scheme even wrote a scientific paper on the subject, which has to be one of the most unusual papers I've ever read.

Published in the Journal of Wildlife Management in 1950, Elmo Herter from the Idaho Fish and Game Department wrote the article 'Transplanting Beavers by Airplane and Parachute'.

In it he describes the need to 'transplant' beavers from where they 'exist in abundance' and may be causing damage, to areas where they're not found and could set up 'fur-bearing populations'.

According to Herter's paper such practise was relatively common but involved an 'arduous, prolonged, expensive' schedule involving several days journey with trucks and pack horses.

Many beavers died en route and some of those that survived became 'dangerously belligerent'.

So a better method was developed which involved planes and ex-military parachutes.

The paper goes into fabulous detail for the design of a box which beavers could be kept in during their flight and skydive.

Once on the ground the specially constructed box sprang open to allow the, surely bewildered, beavers to leave and set up their new colony.

To get to this final working design though the team had to test out several different types, using dummy weights, and, of course, real beavers.

Perhaps the finest part of the paper describes the adventures of one such test-beaver:

One old male beaver, whom we fondly named 'Geronimo', was dropped again and again on the flying field. Each time he scrambled out of the box, someone was on hand to pick him up. Poor fellow! He finally became resigned, and as soon as we approached him, would crawl back into his box ready to go aloft again.

Unfortunately not all beavers faired so well:

One beaver worked his head through the small opening thus made for him, and managed to climb out onto the top of the box. Even so, had he stayed where he was, all would have gone well; but for some inexplicable reason, when the box was within 75 feet of the ground, he jumped or fell from the box.

Perhaps the 'inexplicable reason' was that the poor beaver was a little perplexed as to the turn of events which saw it floating down a river eating a nice piece of willow one minute, and the next being hurled out a large aircraft.

As for Geronimo, fear not: 

You may be sure that 'Geronimo' had a priority reservation on the first ship into the hinterland, and that the three young females went with him.

Crucially the whole - wonderfully barmy - scheme appears to have been a success, as Herter reports that 12 months after the airborne beaver-invasion of remote Idaho all the beavers were thriving.

Apart from the one that jumped out of its box.

Beavers in the UK...

So instead of the UK Government getting rid of our beavers perhaps we should be parachuting more of them into our landscape?

There may not be much call for their 'fur-bearing' properties anymore, but it's possible beavers could help with river and wetland restoration, flood alleviation and carbon storage.

If you want to know more about the effects of beavers on the landscape then why not sign-up for the Wetland Science and Conservation MSc at Bangor University?

BBC Science Cafe - radio interview

The other week I gave an interview for BBC Radio Wales` Science Cafe programme.

As part of their episode on the Bangor University Science Festival I was asked to talk about some of our latest research on wetlands.

Here`s the link to the interview which was on the BBC Science Cafe on March 11, 2014: BBC Science Cafe.

I enjoy doing publicity work like this; it allows me to use some of the skills I learnt during my years as a journalist, and it helps highlight the importance of wetlands.

Wetlands, especially in the UK, rarely get the limelight other "sexier" ecosystems do; such as forests and mountains - but I'd like to help change that.

Our wetlands control so much of our lives - both on a local and global scale.

They are the breeding and feeding grounds for countless species, they can prevent flooding, clean our water and even help control our climate.

Indeed, I'd argue, our very existence depends on wetlands.

So yes; I'm always happy to tell people how great our wetlands are!

BBC Wales interview: Borth bog fire

Following the fire on the peatland at Borth, near Aberystwyth, on Friday (February 14), I was asked to give an interview on BBC Radio Wales - Good Evening Wales.

It was a good opportunity to try and get across the importance of peatlands in Wales and to praise the work of Bangor University, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and the other organisations involved in their study and management.

Here is the link for the interview: BBC Radio Wales - Borth bog fire

I also appeared on BBC Wales Today and gave some quotes to a number of other news groups:
The Independent
Daily Post
ITV Wales
BBC Wales
Belfast Telegraph 

There was plenty of social media activity about the story. However, my favorite tweet in reference to one of my quotes was from @garddwraig who said...

"Borth bog fire 'not caused by goblins', says expert on BBC website. That's a relief."

Can bioswales stop flooding in the UK?

The flooding in Somerset and the south of England  has highlighted the need for a determined overhaul of the UK's management of flood waters.

Clearly the priority in many of the worst hit areas is to look at the maintenance of existing watercourses and how the catchment area is used further upstream.

But to effectively limit the effects of flooding a much wider view has to be taken with many different factors being taken into account.

One of these must be the role green infrastructure can play; in particular Sustainable Drainage Systems, or SUDS.

Many of our villages, towns and cities are expanding rapidly and as they do so areas which were once fields and shrub-land are coated in impenetrable concrete.

This means any rain that falls is quickly diverted, through guttering and drainage systems, into our water courses and rivers in one great flush.

The rainwater is never allowed to soak slowly down into the soil to join the existing watertable, as it did before the development, which would result in a more gradual and less extreme rising of nearby river levels.

The problem is becoming exacerbated with the ever diminishing size of gardens and green spaces; while the strain placed on overloaded existing drainage systems can cause localised flooding around drain covers.

One solution could be bioswales.

Bioswales are a form of Sustainable Drainage System (SUDS), which can be relatively small and incorporated neatly into an urban environment.

Bioswales  (sometimes referred to as a type of rain garden) are areas which can be built around drains on the sides of roads which allow water to soak down into the ground - preventing the rush of flood waters gushing into rivers.

The transpiration of specially selected plants grown in them to further help divert water away from drainage systems.

The existing drain still works in the usual way if needed, during heavy rain or storms, but when combined with the 'soakaway' abilities of the bioswale there is less of a risk of either the localised pooling or the large-scale flooding you often get from standalone drains.

Bioswales do not even need to take up much room; they can be the same size as many of the grass banks we currently have on our pavements - they just need to be constructed a little differently.

Bioswales can also help remove some of the pollutants in water runoff from our roads and pavements.

And of course, bioswales look good and add some much needed greenery and biodiversity to our urban areas.

The more research I do on bioswales as a wetland scientist the stronger I feel that they should become an integral part of not just any new housing and commercial development, but also our wider flood management plan.

Thankfully there is a push for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) to be used more extensively in the UK and I think the recent flooding will highlight this need even more.

Bioswales and SUDS are certainly an interesting topic for the MSc in Wetland Science and Conservation.

New paper on wetland enzyme assays

I've just had a paper published on conducting enzyme assays on wetland soils published in the journal Wetlands.

The paper is entitled: "Methodologies for Extracellular Enzyme Assays from Wetland Soils".

My thanks go to my co-authors: Tim Jones, Astrid Girard and Prof Chris Freeman. It was a great team effort!

If you're interested you can get a copy by following the link and I've included a copy of the abstract.

"Measurement of extracellular enzymic activity in wetland soils can give an indication of the ecosystems biogeochemical processes, and rates of nutrient and carbon cycling. Analysis of these have allowed researchers to gain an understanding of the ecosystems’ microbial ecology and how it can be affected by environmental factors. Here we give a detailed description of the assays necessary to determine the activity of a suite of key hydrolase enzymes and phenol oxidases. These enzymes control the rates of decomposition and consequently the production of biogenic greenhouse gases. Knowing the processes responsible for the breakdown of organic matter is therefore essential if it becomes necessary to curb these emissions. Our protocols allow for cost effective analysis of a large number of samples and provide sufficient accuracy to determine differences between soil types. When coupled with contemporary microbial techniques these enzyme assays permit entire biochemical pathways to be determined, giving unparalleled knowledge on the processes involved in wetland ecosystems."

Read the full article here: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13157-013-0475-0

Please feel free to get in touch if you'd like more information about the paper.

World Wetlands Day 2014

Here's a press release I wrote for Bangor University about World Wetlands Day.

A renowned north Wales' Professor has highlighted the importance of Wales’ wetlands as part of World Wetlands Day.

Professor Chris Freeman from Bangor University has thrown his support behind the event aimed and at raising the awareness of wetlands across the globe.

The award-winning academic, who runs the UK's only postgraduate degree on wetland science, is using World Wetlands Day to highlight the vital role wetlands play in Wales.

Prof Freeman says many wetlands are under threat, despite having the potential to curb flooding, clean our drinking water and store vast amounts of carbon dioxide.

"For centuries we've neglected many of our wetlands, seeing them as a waste of land that needed draining for farmland or building on," said Prof Freeman.

"Thankfully we’re now realising the value of these ecosystems – both in terms of their biodiversity and ecological roles, and for the services they provide us.

“Salt marshes can protect our coasts; buffer zones along rivers can reduce flood damage; peatlands store more carbon than our forests; fens and marshes can help clean our water before we drink it and other wetlands provide us with a host of foods and resources.

“World Wetlands Day is a fantastic idea, it takes place every year on February 2 and events are held around the world to raise public awareness of our wetlands.”

Despite their importance some wetlands are still being lost through drainage and pollution.

Prof Freeman claims more needs to be done to protect them which is why he started the Wetland Science and Conservation Masters degree at Bangor University.

“Although we have so many different types of wetlands in Wales and the rest of the UK most people just don’t realise how vitally important they are to our very well-being,” he said.

“Our course aims to train a whole new generation of wetland scientists, so that we can not only learn more about the natural processes going on in these ecosystems but understand how they can best be protected.”

He added: “I’d urge everyone to take a walk around their nearest wetland on February 2 and find more about them – just remember to take a pair of wellies!”

If you would like to know more about the Wetland Science and Conservation MSc at Bangor University visit wccl.bangor.ac.uk/wetland-masters.

So there you go - if you're interested in the MSc please visit the website and get in touch.

Wetland Science & Conservation MSc

A few days after handing-in my PhD on peatland biogeochemistry I was offered a lectureship at Bangor University and asked to be course organiser for the new Wetland Science and Conservation Masters degree.

It was a fantastic opportunity and the result of several months of hard work by both myself and my supervisor, Prof Chris Freeman, in putting together the course structure.

We were encouraged and helped by the head of the School of Biological Sciences, Prof George Turner, and various other members of the school and university.

The course is now underway with a fantastic group of students who all seem to be really enjoying the lectures and fieldtrips.

If you'd like more information about the Wetland Science and Conservation MSc please get in-touch or visit wccl.bangor.ac.uk/wetland-masters

Statistics for Biologists

Most of the biologists, ecologists and zoologists I know dread the moment they have to sit down with their data and start their statistical analysis.

Even those that understand the importance of statistics often don’t really know which test to perform or what the output actually means. And I have to admit, I’m one of them!

Or at least, I used to be. My understanding of statistics has got better in leaps and bounds since reading Professor Andy Field’s book. Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (Introducing Statistical Methods series).

I’ve pretty much read this book cover to cover and it’s great – I hugely recommend it.

For the first time I actually understand (within reason!) what test to use when, how to run it, what it means, how to interpret it and how to report it.

Prof Field really knows his stuff and, more importantly, can get it across in a way that actually makes sense.

Yes, he does go off on random tangents about his cats and his childhood, which I can see some readers would find annoying; but to be honest, I quite enjoyed it.

If I’m going to have to sit down and read a book on statistics I’d much rather there was a bit of humour in it rather than it being just a simple dry textbook.

That being said, if you want or need to use the book as a straight-forward, how-to set of instruction on using SPSS to run a statistical test, you can: the layout of the chapters and sections is very clear.

I especially liked the suggestions on how to actually report the results of each test, which some books tend to forget about.

I know some biology-type folk turn their nose up at SPSS, preferring mini-tab or R, but for everything I’ve needed to do so far SPSS has been great – and armed with Prof Field’s book I can usually get my analysis done (and crucially - understood) before they’ve even figured-out how to input their data.

So if you need to use SPSS buy the book from Amazon.

Should the UK be peat free?

The use of peat by the horticultural industry has long been a controversial issue in the UK, and now the argument is becoming more heated than a well-maintained compost heap.

The British Government have announced plans to ban peat from all amateur gardening products by 2020 and a similar phase out for the professional horticulture sector by 2030.

Recently the popular celebrity organic gardener Bob Flowerdew hit the headlines after saying he would continue to use peat, even if it meant buying it on the blackmarket.

I'm often asked my thoughts about going peat free and I have to confess I can see both sides of the argument - though I can only talk from my own experience with the horticultural industry and commercial peat producers.

When you're standing on a harvested peat field and all you can see are acres and acres of black, bare peat the knee-jerk reaction is to say such an activity is wrong and must be stopped.

Peat extraction in Canada. Photograph: Christian Dunn

However, as a pragmatic environmentalist you have to try and stand back and look at the whole picture.

Peat is a very important growing media, which for various biological, chemical, physical and economical factors is used extensively in all types of horticulture from the back yard gardener to huge industrial growing facilities.

In fact, most of the lettuce you eat in your sandwiches will have been grown in peat-based compost.

There are, of course, alternatives to peat and there is always research being done to improve these. But from what I've seen there still appears to be nothing out there to fully rival peat.

Some alternatives don't give good enough growing results while others are too expensive, either economically or in terms of the energy used and the carbon footprint created to manufacture them.

Now, perhaps these issues shouldn't be overly important to an amateur gardener, who should be prepared to pay more for his peat free compost and accept lower germination rates.

But for the growing industry in places like the Netherlands, trying to keep up with ever increasing food demands, it could be very harmful: closing down businesses leading to job losses and damaging fragile economies.

I don't think anyone can simply say all peat-based composts are a bad thing. Should alternatives be used wherever possible? Of course. Should amateur gardeners use peat-based composts? Probably not (I try not to!).

I do think we should definitely try to reduce our dependency on peat and any company wanting to extract peat, in whatever country, should have to come up with an in-depth peatland restoration programme and be held accountable to it.

Interestingly it is often the manufactures of peat composts that are investing the most in researching alternatives to peat and, the ones I have spoken to, take restoration and re-vegetation of their extracted fields very seriously.

If we were to stop all peat extraction, who would pay for this in the future as there are many historically extracted sites that still need direct management if they are to ever become peat-producing sites again?

So perhaps an outright ban of peat is not the best way to go - instead we need to balance our use of peat with the rate of extraction and restoration of harvested sites.


Here is the final report from Defra regarding the UK becoming peat free:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/peat-taskforce/files/SGMTF_Final-Report.pdf

The need to consider peatland-geoengineering

I recently wrote an article for Wetland Science and Practise, which is published by the Society of Wetland Scientists.

In it I argue for the need to consider peatland-geoengineering as way of cooling our climate.

This means looking at ways of harnessing the unique biogeochemistry of peatlands to capture and store more carbon – which is what my PhD is all about.

We believe this is not only possible but could be more cost-effective, efficient and safer than other proposed bio-geoengineering methods, such as aforestation.

Some members of the wetland scientific community are, for various and obvious reasons, reluctant to use our peatlands for such projects.

However, I end the article by posing a question:  “Should we leave our peatlands alone, while average global temperatures continue to rise, if they have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) levels?”

If you’d like to read my article please get in touch.

Seagrass stores more carbon than forests - but they still can't match peatlands

A study has shown seagrass beds can store twice as much carbon as forests but that's still only a fraction found in peatlands.

Researches say the soil underneath endangered seagrass meadows - which cover less than one percent of the world's seas - contain 10 percent of all the carbon buried annually in our oceans.

This equates to around twice the amount of carbon found in the soils of the world's temperate and tropical forests.

By conserving and restoring our seagrass beds it is hoped we can enhance these carbon stores - further reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere.

This is a really interesting piece of research and could offer a viable bio-geoengineering technique, with the added benefits associated with safeguarding such a rare ecosystem.

However, this highlights once again just how important the northern hemisphere's peatlands are, with their stores of carbon dwarfing both seagrass beds and forests.

Seagrass beds, according to the report published in Nature Geoscience, contain up to 19.9 Pg of carbon (one petagram, Pg, is equal to one billion metric tons), peatlands total at 455 Pg though is more than 20 times that amount.

Indeed, peatlands are the world's most important long term depository of carbon and have a direct effect on GHG levels and our planet's climate.

Proper management of our peatlands is clearly essential if we wish to maintain this carbon stock, but so too is further research into possible peatland bio-geoengineering projects to increase carbon sequestration.


More information on: Seagrass beds can store twice as much carbon as forests

World Wetlands Day at Bangor University

Yesterday (February 2) was World Wetlands Day and I put together a piece about our research team's work for the Bangor University website.

World Wetlands Day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar - known as the Ramsar Convention.

The aim of of the event is to help raise public awareness about the importance and value of wetlands.

Follow the link to read what we get up to at the Wolfson Carbon Capture Laboratory.

Here's the description of my PhD research project:

"I’m looking at developing geoengineering techniques to increase the amount of carbon stored in the world’s peatlands. If we can come up with a safe, cost effective way of doing this it may be possible to absorb some of the excess carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere. It’s hoped this could start to reverse the effects of global warming; saving many species and eco-systems which are at risk of extinction, and even stop catastrophic shifts in our weather patterns and rises in sea levels. The work also has more immediate financial benefits, as any additional carbon stored by peatlands can be accounted for and sold on emerging carbon markets.
I get to look at all types of peatlands, from blanket bogs on our doorstep here in Snowdonia, to the mangroves in Florida and from Arctic permafrosts to tropical swamps."