"Canada really is a peatland superpower."
Sarah Finkelstein, Professor and Chair of the Department of Earth Sciences, talks about the importance of peatlands for carbon storage in Canada and how peatlands are vulnerable to the ongoing climate crisis.
Peatlands are a type of wetland that store massive amounts of carbon because they accumulate plant material in poorly oxygenated conditions, making them important carbon sinks especially in Canada. Sarah describes the Hudson and James Bay Lowlands located in Northern Ontario as "one of the greatest wetlands on Earth". Yet, unusually dry conditions this year caused these peatlands to be susceptible to wildfires, which unfortunately affected Fort Albany First Nations. Sarah adds that burning plant material supposedly stored in peatlands would release carbon as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Sarah also highlights concerns from an air quality standpoint as fine particulate matter such as ash may waft into the air.
Read the news in this link. You may also listen to Sarah's phone interview in the same website link.