Bogs—wetlands characterized by waterlogged, acidic, and oxygen-poor conditions—serve critical ecological, historical, and cultural roles that extend far beyond their often-misunderstood reputation as forbidding, stagnant landscapes. In her latest work, ecologist Merritt R. Turetsky explores these unique environments, emphasizing their importance as carbon sinks, preservers of ancient history, and refuges in times of conflict.

Bogs accumulate peat, a form of decayed organic material that builds up over millennia, creating an environment in which decomposition slows dramatically. This natural preservation has yielded remarkable archaeological finds, such as the Tollund Man, a 2,500-year-old corpse uncovered in Denmark with eyelashes and facial hair still intact. Such discoveries have contributed to folklore framing bogs as mystical thresholds or sacred spaces bridging life and death.

Historically, bogs have provided shelter and strategic advantage for marginalized and oppressed groups. During the 19th century in the United States, Native Americans evading forced relocation settled in the Florida Everglades, an area largely ignored by the government. Enslaved people in the American South similarly used boglands to evade capture. During the Northern Ireland Troubles, the Irish Republican Army utilized the complexity and concealment offered by bogs to avoid British forces. Additionally, the Vietcong adapted Vietnam’s swampy terrain to counter U.S. military operations.

Ecologically, bogs play a vital role in mitigating climate change. Although they cover only about 3 percent of the world’s land surface, bogs store some 30 percent of global soil carbon—twice the amount contained in all the world’s forests combined. Sphagnum mosses, prevalent in these wetlands, actively capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, locking it away in the peat layers. Beyond carbon sequestration, bogs help regulate water by absorbing excess rainfall, reducing flood risks, and providing resilience against drought and wildfires.

However, human activities and changing climate conditions threaten these ecosystems. Drainage and burning of bogs for agriculture or development release stored carbon and methane into the atmosphere, potentially turning bogs from carbon sinks into sources of greenhouse gases. Examples include deteriorating bogs in places such as Saskatchewan and Borneo, where droughts and environmental degradation are evident.

Turetsky’s fieldwork spans global locations—from the peatlands surrounding ancient painted caves in Borneo to Scotland’s Isle of Skye, where peat influences local whisky production, and Greenland’s emerging bogs, which offer signs of ecosystem regeneration amid warming conditions.

While the book notes bogs’ inherent contradictions—they are neither fully alive nor dead, neither solid nor liquid—the key message highlights their complex ecological value and the urgency of protecting them. Bogs harbor unique biodiversity, regulate crucial water systems, and serve as significant carbon reservoirs.

In addition to their scientific significance, boglands stimulate the senses with their distinct textures, scents, and sounds, and they involve mysterious phenomena like "will-o’-the-wisps," faint lights that appear over their surfaces and remain scientifically unexplained.

As Turetsky underscores, preserving bogs is essential to maintaining biodiversity and combating global warming, making them critical landscapes for scientific study and conservation efforts worldwide.