#PeatConf25

Описание: 🎥 Part of the IUCN UK Peatland Programme Conference 2025:
Water Connections: From Source to Sea
Hosted in Derry~Londonderry, 30 Sept – 2 Oct 2025

🗣 Speaker:
Áine O’Reilly, Senior Scientific Officer, Northern Ireland Environment Agency

🎤 Session:
Atmospheric Pollution

📝 Talk summary:
Atmospheric nitrogen pollution threatens peatland health — particularly by damaging peat building Sphagnum mosses, changing species composition, and reducing bog functionality. Peatland ecosystems are naturally nutrient-poor habitats that receive their nutrients from the atmosphere and therefore are particularly sensitive to airborne nitrogen deposition. Ammonia is one of the biggest sources of nitrogen pollution in the air in Northern Ireland (NI) and emissions are continuing to rise.

Recent air pollution data for NI designated sites show that 98-100% of ASSIs, SACs and SPAs had ammonia concentrations greater than 1 μg m3 (the long term annual average Critical Level for lichens and mosses and for ecosystems in which they are important). The Northern Ireland Environment Agency, along with project partners UKCEH, National Trust, Ulster Wildlife, Fermanagh and Omagh Country Council and Monaghan County Council, has been leading a work programme to evaluate the nature and scale of impacts from elevated levels of atmospheric nitrogen on habitats across NI. Áine O’Reilly presents the results from this programme including the quantification of atmospheric nitrogen inputs to monitored peatlands, associated habitat and species response and monitoring the recovery of a lowland raised bog following a reduction in high levels of atmospheric nitrogen.

▶️ Watch the full conference playlist:
   • #PeatConf25 | Water Connections: from Sour...  

▶️ Watch all talks from this session:
   • #PeatConf25 | Atmospheric Pollution  

🌱 The IUCN UK Peatland Programme exists to promote peatland restoration in the UK and advocates the multiple benefits of peatlands through partnerships, strong science, sound policy and effective practice.

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