October 24, 2009
Tablas de Daimiel wetland: then and now
This is the future of peat wetlands all over the world, wherever humans are drawing down the water table. Thousands of illegal wells were drilled around the Tablas de Daimiel wetland in Spain, a UNESCO biosphere site, to irrigate local fields. The water table fell 12 meters (40 ft), the underground peat dried out, and now the peat is spontaneously igniting. Underground fires are consuming what’s left of Tablas de Daimiel, releasing tons of long-sequestered carbon to the atmosphere. 2000 2005 2009
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