peatland
noun
peat·land
ˈpēt-ˌland 
plural peatlands
: land rich in peat (see peat entry 1 sense 1a)
For hundreds of years, dark brown peat from some of the most unspoiled peatlands in Scotland has provided the people … with their annual supply of fuel for heating and cooking.—
Alan Simpson
Alan SimpsonPeatlands have also come into sharp focus over the past 20 years because they are the largest and most concentrated global store of carbon of all terrestrial ecosystems, containing twice the carbon of the forest biomass.—Anja Murray
Anja MurrayEstates in the Highlands are often not fertile enough for profitable farming and the properties are large, making it easier to do tree-planting or peatland restoration that sequesters carbon at scale.—The Economist
The EconomistExamples of peatland in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scientists proposed maintaining high water levels in peatland in northern Europe and placing dead boreal trees in the deep Arctic Ocean as carbon sinks.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Most natural carbon storage is driven by plants, so forests, peatlands and wetlands all store carbon because of plant growth and the build-up of organic material.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
There the expedition team found a crystal clear, acidic source lake sustained by vast, previously undocumented peatlands.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Forests, peatlands, glaciers and coastline can be found across the land.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026
But over time, peatlands have been misunderstood and mistreated.
—Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
To put peatlands in context of other more traditional carbon sinks, the peatland in the U.K. stores the same amount of carbon as the forests of the U.K., France and Germany combined.
—Mark Littler, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
The lonely views of distillery stacks—undercut by peatlands, circled by barley fields burning gold—are ever-present.
—Mike MacEacheran, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 June 2025
Today, Europe leads a movement to restore peatlands and support farmers in paludiculture – growing crops in wetlands.
—Troy Aidan Sambajon, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Apr. 2025
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Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Most natural carbon storage is driven by plants, so forests, peatlands and wetlands all store carbon because of plant growth and the build-up of organic material.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
There the expedition team found a crystal clear, acidic source lake sustained by vast, previously undocumented peatlands.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Forests, peatlands, glaciers and coastline can be found across the land.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026
But over time, peatlands have been misunderstood and mistreated.
—Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
To put peatlands in context of other more traditional carbon sinks, the peatland in the U.K. stores the same amount of carbon as the forests of the U.K., France and Germany combined.
—Mark Littler, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
The lonely views of distillery stacks—undercut by peatlands, circled by barley fields burning gold—are ever-present.
—Mike MacEacheran, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 June 2025
Today, Europe leads a movement to restore peatlands and support farmers in paludiculture – growing crops in wetlands.
—Troy Aidan Sambajon, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Peatland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peatland. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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