Adventurers' Land

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 52.5981, 0.0083

Also within

Cambridgeshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
TF361019 Favourable 10.12 2012-11-05

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Peatland

Peat habitats store centuries of carbon and depend on a stable, waterlogged water table. Warmer, drier summers dry out peat, making it far more vulnerable to wildfire and to carbon release — a pressure that can undo years of restoration work regardless of how well the site is otherwise managed.

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Glacial, Peatland / Mire

Description

Description Adventurers’ Land is important for studies of Flandrian sea level fluctuations. Radiocarbon and micropalaeontological analyses of intercalated peats and silty clays have been instrumental in formulating the chronology of positive and negative tendencies of sea level movement in the Fenland. Up to five peat layers have been recorded, dating between c.6400 BP and c.1850 BP. The former date represents the earliest direct dating of a marine transgressive overlap in the Fenland and the altitude of the overlap c. eight metres OD has been used to show post glacial crustal subsidence of the area. In terms of palynology and sedimentology, the site is also of particular interest for studying detailed changes in environmental conditions and processes operating during sedimentation in a narrow valley.