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jamierohu.bsky.social
Postdoctoral research fellow on the Twelve Bogs project in the Department of History at Trinity College Dublin. Co-funded by Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland and the National Parks & Wildlife Service. All views expressed are my own.
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A-Z of Bogs: T is for… terrestrialisation. When a shallow lake develops (for example, after an ice age event) reeds and other water-dwelling plants will grow in and around its perimeter. In time, they will naturally die off and new plants will grow in their place. Due to anoxic conditions…

submitted 2 hours ago • 1 comment

The frankly astonishing natural flushed channels on the surface of Sheheree bog SAC, Co. Kerry.

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'Improved' agricultural grassland, cutover bog and high bog at Killyconny SAC, Co. Cavan/Meath.

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Two separate bogs in Co. Longford (2021) illustrating how drain-blocking radically transforms the landscape.

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Bord na Móna dug drains in Abbeyleix bog in the late-1980s. The local community campaigned against its industrial extraction and worked to block up the drains. It's an extraordinary story that I will tell in my book 'Twelve Bogs: History, Politics, Ecology' when it comes out hopefully in 2027.

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

Surveyed Sheheree Bog SAC today in the magnificent Co. Kerry with a local ecologist. I’ve been waiting a long time to visit and see this near-pristine peatland. There’s rhododendron present and ‘improved’ grassland adjacent to it but it’s still a marvel to behold 😊 @npwsireland.bsky.social

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A-Z of Bogs: S is for… Sphagnum planting 🌱 Sphagnum mosses are perhaps the most important factor in peat accumulation along with water. Efforts are underway to replant degraded post-industrial bogs with sphagnum mosses (like this one👇) here in Ireland.

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

In case you missed it👇 An equally fascinating and disturbing story. www.rte.ie/news/ulster/...

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

A-Z of Bogs: R is for… Rand Not to be confused with the lagg zone (the fen-like perimeter surrounding an intact raised bog) the rand of a raised bog is the slope on the edge of the dome. The rand is usually cutover on most turbary bogs these days as they are cut from the outside in 😟

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Heading 🚂 to The Kingdom tomorrow on the latest leg of my fieldwork. Can’t wait!! 😎

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

A-Z of Bogs: Q is for… Quaking Bog More specifically, this post refers to ‘Transitional mires and quaking bogs’ (Habitats Directive Annex 1: 7140). As I’ve discussed several times on this micro-blog series, shallow lakes turn to fens and these become raised bogs… in the right conditions 🧵

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

A-Z of Bogs: P is for… Paludification. When a raised bog emerges from a fen (which itself developed in a shallow lake) it will, as the name suggests, tower above its surrounding habitat to create a dome-like shape within the landscape. It will grow and develop weaknesses in it surface which…

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

A-Z of Bogs: N is for... Nitrogen Bogs are low-nutrient environments. Abundant nitrogen (as well as potassium and phosphates) will inhibit naturally-occurring bog flora. However, a certain amount is necessary. Many of you will be familiar with carnivorous sundews. Here's one from Clara bog👇

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

A-Z of Bogs: O is for Oxygen Due to their waterlogged nature, healthy bogs are low oxygen environments. Drained, oxygen can penetrate the peaty substrate. This leads to the development of microbial communities, which begin to break down the peat. Carbon is then released into the atmosphere 😟

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

A-Z of Bogs: M is for… Mire A mire (a term rarely used in Ireland but common in continental Europe) is a peat-forming peatland. Therefore a drained raised bog (ie turbary, post-industrial) is not a mire, but say, a functional blanket bog is. After restoration, a damaged bog can become a mire again.

submitted 7 days ago • 1 comment

A-Z of Bogs: L is for… Lagg As fen transitions into raised bog, the mineral rich water that fed the peatland sees its influence decreased the more peat is accumulated. The water is diverted around the perimeter of the nascent bog, where fen-like conditions persist. A screenshot from my PhD:

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

A-Z of Bogs: K is for... Kettlehole mire Kettlehole: A "kettle-shaped basin formed by the melting of an ice-block that was buried by glacial outwash of a retreating glacier." Kettlehole mire: a mire (active peatland) in a kettle hole Source: Mires and Peatlands of Europe (2017: 79) 🧵

submitted 9 days ago • 2 comments

“Five years spent building an inclusive, forward-looking regulatory framework would be followed by five years of systematically dismantling it at the behest of a privileged few.” Dear oh dear 🤦🏻‍♂️ www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment