Pitlowie
Also within
Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Quaternary of Scotland | Favourable | — | 2008-11-11 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
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.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Geology & landscape
Landscape processes: Coastal, Peatland / Mire
Description
Pitlowie Pitlowie SSSI lies to the north of the A90 between Perth and Dundee at the foot of the Sidlaw Hills. Pitlowie is important for a sequence of Flandrian peat and estuarine deposits which occur in part of a system of gullies formed during the Late Devensian. It forms part of a network of sites that provide evidence for Flandrian relative sea-level change in eastern Scotland. Detailed studies encompassing lithostratigraphy, pollen stratigraphy, geochemistry and radiocarbon dating have shown that the Main Postglacial Transgression at Pitlowie was initially rapid, but then slowed and culminated before 6000 BP (Before Present).