Scotland’s Flow Country

Executive Briefing

According to reporting by NASA Space & Missions, Blanket bogs in the Scottish Highlands store vast amounts of carbon.

Detailed Factual Report

Compared to ecosystems in many other parts of the world, the blanket bogs of the Flow Country in northern Scotland are unassuming—soggy, treeless landscapes dominated by hummocky mosses, grasses, and heathers. Yet, to ecologists, the seemingly desolate areas are nothing short of extraordinary.

The bogs store tremendous quantities of carbon . That’s because their soils are so waterlogged that microbes cannot fully break down dead plant material, a process that would otherwise release carbon dioxide. Instead, partially decayed plant matter accumulates into thick layers of spongy, crumbly, carbon-rich material called peat .

The unusual ecosystems, also called blanket mires and featherbed bogs, only occur in places with abundant rainfall, poor drainage, and low levels of evapotranspiration . These types of bogs cover just 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) globally, less than one-tenth of one percent of Earth’s land surface. The image above, captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 , is centered on blanket bogs in the Scottish Highlands, home to the largest such ecosystem in Europe. This peatland is also the first of its type to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

The peat bogs of northern Scotland, home to more than 30 species of sphagnum moss , are spread across some 1,900 square kilometers (730 square miles) of the country’s Highlands region. In this image, boggy areas appear dark brown and are sprinkled with lakes. The light green area on the right side around Thurso is farmland. The darker green geometric patterns in the center are conifer plantations . The image was captured in the spring, the part of the year when the land surface is most waterlogged and peat bogs begin to accumulate large amounts of new biomass.

Verified Data Points & Key Takeaways

Geographic Scope & Community Impact

Recommended Action & Safety Guidelines

Source & Verification Provenance

Information in this article was compiled directly from records provided by NASA Space & Missions. Access the primary source document at: https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/scotlands-flow-country/. Reporting and editorial review conducted by the USA NOW News Desk.