"Peat Bog Fires Are Burning Issue in Climate Calculations"

"Human exploitation and drainage of carbon-rich peatlands has led to some of the biggest fires on Earth – another factor fanning the flames of global warming."

"LONDON − The greatest concentrations of the world's soil carbon have been pinpointed by researchers − and much of it is a dangerously flammable addition to climate change concerns.

An international scientific survey of peat bogs has calculated that they contain more carbon than all the world's forests, heaths and grasslands together − and perhaps as much as the planet's atmosphere. Since peat can smolder underground for years, it is another potential factor in global warming calculations.

Peat is simply leaf litter that never completely decayed. Ancient peatlands become distinctive ecosystems and, in some places, an economic resource."

Tim Radford reports for Climate News Network January 11, 2015.