Peat is a carbon sink, so when smoulders it gives off carbon dioxide, contributing greatly to global warming. The MET office are wanting to gain a greater understanding of the smouldering characteristics of peat. Thus creating a rating system to have the ability to predict the likelihood of occurrence in different conditions and the rate of spread.

The smouldering characteristics of peat are relatively unknown. The purpose of our research is to gain a greater understanding of the ignition, gaseous release, heat release rate and combustion rate of peat. The research is the first of its kind as neither smouldering combustion or peat has been investigated using these methods.