yar·pha | /ˈyärfə/
An obscure Scots term for peat that makes poor-quality fuel, yarpha (or yarfa) may be shallow, be combined with too much clay or sand, or be overly fibrous. Possibly of Old Norse origin, it is mostly associated with Orkney and Shetland.
Peatlands cover about 20 percent of Scotland. Formed over millennia from the accumulation of slowly decomposing plants, ancient bogs can be as deep as 10 metres. Traditionally, peatland that wasn’t yarpha has been an important source of fuel, each property commonly having the rights to its own peat bank. As a child, the naughtiest of our neighbour’s nine children the previous day would be the one sent out to cut the peat. Back then, the rich, earthy scent of burning peat was synonymous with the Highlands. Nowadays, the once commonplace stacks of drying peat bricks are a rarer sight as the fragility and wider environmental importance of bogs is being recognised.
Tropical and temperate peatlands cover around 3 percent of the Earth’s land but store 30 percent of its carbon – more than double all the world’s forest combined. Despite their rugged appearance, they’re easily damaged by cuttings turning into water courses that drain the bog. In one instance, cracks in a damaged bog allowed heavy rainfall to swell underneath the partially dried vegetation until the entire hillside slid away. Studying the crucial role of peatlands in fighting climate change is transforming our understanding of their true complexity – identifying phenomenon such as bog breathing where water levels and the weather cause the bogs to expand and contract. Scotland’s peatland – also known as blanket bog – is home to hares, amphibians, lizards, and red deer as well as providing sanctuaries for ground-nesting birds like the curlew, golden plover, and hen harrier. With careful restoration and management, there’s hope that future generations will inherit more than just yarpha.
Introduction Aeolian Alpenglow
Benthos Crepuscular Crispate Crown shyness
Desire lines Dreich Endragoned Edgelands
Frondescence Fumarole Gluggaveður Gossamer
Karst Komorebi Lawrence Long acre
Machair Monkey’s wedding Moonglade
Psithurism Quartz Rakuyou Roaring forties
Snag Soft estate Specular, diffuse and pellucid
Spoondrift Steam fog Swash zone Sylvan
Tellurian and thalassic Terracettes Uliginous