Massive Peatland Carbon Banks Vulnerable to Rising Temperatures

Authors

A. M. Hopple, University of Oregon
R. M. Wilson, Florida State University
M. Kolton, Georgia Institute of Technology
Cassandra A. Zalman, medvedef@chapman.edu
J. P. Chanton, Florida State University
J. Kostka, Georgia Institute of Technology
P. J. Hanson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Jason K. Keller, Chapman UniversityFollow
S. D. Bridgham, University of Oregon

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-12-2020

Abstract

Peatlands contain one-third of the world’s soil carbon (C). If destabilized, decomposition of this vast C bank could accelerate climate warming; however, the likelihood of this outcome remains unknown. Here, we examine peatland C stability through five years of whole-ecosystem warming and two years of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations (eCO₂). Warming exponentially increased methane (CH₄) emissions and enhanced CH₄ production rates throughout the entire soil profile; although surface CH₄ production rates remain much greater than those at depth. Additionally, older deeper C sources played a larger role in decomposition following prolonged warming. Most troubling, decreases in CO₂:CH₄ ratios in gas production, porewater concentrations, and emissions, indicate that the peatland is becoming more methanogenic with warming. We observed limited evidence of eCO₂ effects. Our results suggest that ecosystem responses are largely driven by surface peat, but that the vast C bank at depth in peatlands is responsive to prolonged warming.

Comments

This article was originally published in Nature Communications in 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16311-8

Recommended Citation

Hopple, A.M., Wilson, R.M., Kolton, M. et al. Massive peatland carbon banks vulnerable to rising temperatures. Nat Commun 11, 2373 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16311-8

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.