6533b828fe1ef96bd12894e0
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Large stocks of peatland carbon and nitrogen are vulnerable to permafrost thaw
Gustaf HugeliusJulie LoiselSarah ChadburnRobert B. JacksonMiriam JonesGlen MacdonaldMaija MarushchakDavid OlefeldtMaara PackalenMatthias B. SiewertClaire TreatMerritt TuretskyCarolina VoigtZicheng Yusubject
Climate Researchnorthern peatlandspermafrost thawhiilinitrogen stocksikiroutagreenhouse gas fluxesilmastonmuutoksetKlimatforskningcarbon stockstyppikasvihuonekaasutEarth Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesPhysical Sciencesturvemaatdescription
Significance Over many millennia, northern peatlands have accumulated large amounts of carbon and nitrogen, thus cooling the global climate. Over shorter timescales, peatland disturbances can trigger losses of peat and release of greenhouses gases. Despite their importance to the global climate, peatlands remain poorly mapped, and the vulnerability of permafrost peatlands to warming is uncertain. This study compiles over 7,000 field observations to present a data-driven map of northern peatlands and their carbon and nitrogen stocks. We use these maps to model the impact of permafrost thaw on peatlands and find that warming will likely shift the greenhouse gas balance of northern peatlands. At present, peatlands cool the climate, but anthropogenic warming can shift them into a net source of warming.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-01-01 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |