Sphagnum tundra areas. Their northernmost populations lie in the archipelago of Svalbard, Arctic Norway, at 81° N. In the Southern Hemisphere, the largest peat areas are in southern Chile and Argentina, part of the vast Magellanic Moorland ("circa" 44,000 square km). Peat areas are also found in New Zealand and Tasmania. In the Southern Hemisphere, however, peat landscapes may contain many moss species other than "Sphagnum". "Sphagnum" species are also reported from "dripping rocks" in mountainous, subtropical Brazil. As with many other mosses, "Sphagnum" species disperse spores through the wind. The tops of spore capsules are only about 1 cm above
Portlethen Moss lower elevations in every direction. Due to the high winds, moderate precipitation and cool temperatures that generally prevail, conditions are favourable for formation of an acid bog, since water stagnates, but eventually evaporates with ensuing acidity enhancement of decaying organic matter. There was virtually no drainage outlet in prehistoric times, and little drainage even in modern times. Many coastal mosses were initiated by the process of glaciation, which sheared rock formations to a generally level terrain, while also gouging moderate sized craters that would pond. This description fits the fundamental situation of Portlethen Moss, where sphagnum would have flourished over