Scientists highlight importance of bogs in fighting climate change

CROWNSVILLE, Md. — On National Bog Day, experts are working to raise awareness about these unique ecosystems that serve as natural carbon sinks and help combat global warming.

Dennis Whigam, a retired scientist and plant ecologist, continues his work studying these special environments despite being retired.

"I guess most people probably look at a bog and say yuck," Whigam said.

But these wetland ecosystems play a crucial role in our environment, particularly in the fight against climate change.

"Peat bogs are a carbon sink, so they take in carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it so that our climate isn't warming up over time," Whigam said.

Bogs can be found in diverse environments across the globe, from tropical regions to forests, but they all share a common characteristic.

"You can have bogs in tropical environments to massive forests but they still have deep layers of organic matter," Whigam said.

One of Whigam's goals is to bring attention to these special places, particularly in Anne Arundel County.

"Bring to the public recognition that there are some special places in Anne Arundel County that you could call a bog," Whigam said.

These delicate ecosystems require pristine water conditions to thrive, but urbanization has put many bogs at risk.

"We want to make sure that our summers aren't getting warmer and with the peat sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, it's helping to prevent some of those climate change effects and protect our local ecosystem," Whigam said.

Whigam believes local officials can help protect bogs by ensuring development projects don't contaminate the water flowing into these ecosystems.

"They've been lost because we haven't done good things. We didn't know when a lot of this happened that they required special circumstances, but now we know and so hopefully we can educate and people will help make choices that enable these things to survive into the future," Whigam said.

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