This is according to research published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience. The study shows how vulnerable peatlands are becoming due to extremely dry and warm conditions resulting from climate change.
Scientists from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – including Earth system scientist Sander Veraverbeke –, the University of Cambridge, the University of Exeter, and the University of East Anglia contributed to the research.
Largest wildfire
The fire on Dava Moor in Scotland raged in 2025 and quickly grew into the largest wildfire the United Kingdom has ever known. In four days, an area burned down that normally corresponds to the total annual fire damage in the country. According to the researchers, approximately 85 percent of the emissions were released because deep-lying peat soil burned.
Peatlands store enormous amounts of carbon worldwide. Due to wet conditions, plant remains there are only partially broken down, resulting in the formation of thick layers of peat over hundreds to thousands of years. Although peatlands cover only a small portion of the Earth's surface, they contain approximately one-third of all carbon stored on land.
Vulnerable peatlands
“This research shows that peatlands can be much more vulnerable to extreme wildfires than was long thought,” say the researchers. “When peat dries out, stored carbon hundreds of years old can be released in a very short time.”
The researchers combined field measurements in the burned area with satellite data on soil moisture. This revealed that an exceptionally dry winter and spring created the conditions in which the fire could spread rapidly and burn deep into the soil. Although the fire was caused by human activity, the extreme weather conditions made its scale and intensity possible.
For the study, scientists traveled to the affected area to map the damage. By measuring how deep the fire had penetrated the soil at dozens of locations, they were able to calculate how much peat had been lost and how much CO₂ was released in the process.
Slow process
According to the researchers, the consequences are substantial because peat formation is a very slow process. It can take centuries for the same amount of carbon to be stored in the soil again. Consequently, such emissions are virtually irreversible on a timescale relevant to climate policy.
The study underscores the importance of protecting and restoring peatlands, both in the United Kingdom and in other northern and temperate regions. If extreme droughts become more frequent, the risk of this type of large, carbon-intensive wildfires also increases.
An upland landscape at Lochindorb shows varying stages of recovery months after the 2025 Dava Moor Fire. Scorched trees in the mid-ground mark areas of higher burn severity, while woodlands along the loch shore were spared from severe fire damage.
Image credit: Johanna Schoenecker