Late Holocene environmental changes reconstructed from stable isotope and geochemical records from a cushion‐plant peatland in the Chilean Central Andes (27°S)

Kock, Sebastian T.; Schittek, Karsten; Mächtle, Bertil; Wissel, Holger; Maldonado, Antonio; Lücke, Andreas

doi:10.1002/jqs.3088

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…The high Andean peatlands have the highest primary productivity among the distinct terrestrial ecosystems of the Altiplano region, with average carbon accumulation rates at least an order of magnitude higher than Northern Hemisphere peatlands [9][10][11]. Many of these peatlands represent valuable paleoclimate archives, as they have accumulated peat for up to 10,000 years and can reach depths of up to 10 meters [11][12][13][14]. Since climate and land use change has resulted in the degradation of these fragile ecosystems, and because peatlands have the potential to shift from carbon sinks to sources, there is a great need to evaluate changes in peatland extent and productivity [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multiscale Productivity Assessment of High Andean Peatlands across the Chilean Altiplano Using 31 Years of Landsat Imagery

et al. 2019

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The high Andean peatlands, locally known as “bofedales”, are a unique type of wetland distributed across the high-elevation South American Altiplano plateau. This extensive peatland network stores significant amounts of carbon, regulates local and regional hydrological cycles, supports habitats for a variety of plant and animal species, and has provided critical water and forage resources for the livestock of the indigenous Aymara communities for thousands of years. Nevertheless, little is known about the productivity dynamics of the high Andean peatlands, particularly in the drier western Altiplano region bordering the Atacama desert. Here, we provide the first digital peatland inventory and multiscale productivity assessment for the entire western Altiplano (63,705 km2) using 31 years of Landsat data (about 9000 scenes) and a non-parametric approach for estimating phenological metrics. We identified 5665 peatland units, covering an area of 510 km2, and evaluated the spatiotemporal productivity patterns at the regional, peatland polygon, and individual pixel scales. The regional assessment shows that the peatland areas and peatlands with higher productivity are concentrated towards the northern part of our study region, which is consistent with the Altiplano north–south aridity gradient. Regional patterns further reveal that the last seven years (2011–2017) have been the most productive period over the past three decades. While individual pixels show contrasting patterns of reductions and gains in local productivity during the most recent time period, most of the study area has experienced increases in annual productivity, supporting the regional results. Our novel database can be used not only to explore future research questions related to the social, biological, and hydrological influences on peatland productivity patterns, but also to provide technical support for the sustainable development of livestock practices and conservation and water management policy in the Altiplano region.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multiscale Productivity Assessment of High Andean Peatlands across the Chilean Altiplano Using 31 Years of Landsat Imagery

et al. 2019

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“…In both archives, low (high) δ 18 O cell values were interpreted to indicate increased (decreased) moisture availability (Kock, Schittek, Mächtle, et al, ; Kock, Schittek, Wissel, et al, ), a pattern that can be best explained by SASM‐variations connecting increased amounts with depleted δ 18 O values of precipitation (Vuille & Werner, ). Support for this interpretation came from a negative correlation between δ 18 O cell and the thickness of peat layers; hence, peat growth at LP (Kock, Schittek, Mächtle, et al, ) and from maximum δ 18 O cell values matching with gypsum precipitates at CTP (Kock, Schittek, Wissel, et al, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(d) δ 18 O cell (‰ vs. VSMOW) of the Cerro Tuzgle peatland (24°S, Argentina; Kock, Schittek, Wissel, et al, ). (e) δ 18 O cell (‰ vs. VSMOW) of the Lagunillas peatland (27°S, Chile; Kock, Schittek, Mächtle, et al, ), bold and dotted lines indicate the LOESS interpolation ( f = 0.2) based on Montañez et al (). Note that all values are displayed as normalized values.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Especially in the arid west, the number of available paleoclimate archives is still considerably small. In this respect, high‐Andean cushion peatlands can be valuable (paleo‐)environmental recorders, especially due to their high accumulation rates that allow for chronologies up to sub‐decadal resolution (e.g., Engel et al, ; Kock, Schittek, Mächtle, et al, ; Schittek et al, ). Further, these peatlands are very sensitive towards climatic changes and offer comparability across climatic gradients and (Schittek, ; Schittek et al, ).…”

Section: Study Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Kock, Schittek, Wissel, et al, ) and Lagunillas peatland (LP; 27°12′S, 69°17′W, 3,823 m a.s.l. ; Kock, Schittek, Mächtle, et al, ) are both located on the Puna Plateau (Figure a). In contrast to the CTP record, the LP record is frequently interbedded with clastic units.…”

Section: Study Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multi‐Centennial‐Scale Variations of South American Summer Monsoon Intensity in the Southern Central Andes (24–27°S) During the Late Holocene

Kock

Schittek

Mächtle

et al. 2020

Geophysical Research Letters

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Oxygen isotope records of cushion‐plant peat cellulose from the southern central Andes capture evidence for significant environmental changes. We observe that the δ18Ocell peatland record from Cerro Tuzgle (24°S) is in high conformity with the respective Lagunillas peatland record (27°S). During the late Holocene, two significant fluctuations occurred and are interpreted as regional moisture signals with increased precipitation amounts indicated during multi‐centennial phases from 1,530 to 1,270 cal. yr BP and from 470 to 70 cal. yr BP. These fluctuations can be best explained by changes in the strength of the South American summer monsoon (SASM). This interpretation is further supported by consistency with northern Andean paleoclimate records (10–13°S) and very high correlation (R2 = 0.76) with the Southern Oscillation Index. The congruent precipitation signals suggest the persistent climatic control of the SASM‐strength in this latitudinal band during the last 1,800 years.

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Carbon dynamics in high‐Andean tropical cushion peatlands: A review of geographic patterns and potential drivers

García Lino,

Pfanzelt,

Domic

et al. 2024

Ecological Monographs

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Peatlands store large amounts of carbon (C), a function potentially threatened by climate change. Peatlands composed of vascular cushion plants are widespread in the northern and central high Andes (páramo, wet and dry puna), but their C dynamics are hardly known. To understand the interplay of the main drivers of peatland C dynamics and to infer geographic patterns across the Andean regions, we addressed the following question: How do topography, hydrology, temperature, past climate variability, and vegetation influence the C dynamics of these peatlands? We summarize the available information on observed spatial and inferred temporal patterns of cushion peatland development in the tropical and subtropical Andes. Based on this, we recognize the following emerging patterns, which all need testing in further studies addressing spatial and temporal patterns of C accumulation: (1) Peatlands in dry climates and those in larger catchments receive higher sediment inputs than peatlands from wet puna and páramo and in small catchments. This results in peat stratigraphies intercalated with mineral layers and affects C accumulation by triggering vegetation changes. (2) High and constant water tables favor C accumulation. Seasonal water level fluctuations are higher in wet and dry puna, in comparison with páramo, leading to more frequent episodes of C loss in puna. (3) Higher temperatures favor C gain under high and constant water availability but also increase C loss under low and fluctuating water levels. (4) C accumulation has been variable through the Holocene, but several peatlands show a recent increase in C accumulation rates. (5) Vegetation affects C dynamics through species‐specific differences in productivity and decomposition rate. Because of predicted regional differences in global climate change manifestations (seasonality, permafrost behavior, temperature, precipitation regimes), cushion peatlands from the páramo are expected to mostly continue as C sinks for now, whereas those of the dry puna are more likely to turn to C sources as a consequence of increasing aridification.

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Late Holocene environmental changes reconstructed from stable isotope and geochemical records from a cushion‐plant peatland in the Chilean Central Andes (27°S)

Cited by 13 publications

References 49 publications

A Multiscale Productivity Assessment of High Andean Peatlands across the Chilean Altiplano Using 31 Years of Landsat Imagery

A Multiscale Productivity Assessment of High Andean Peatlands across the Chilean Altiplano Using 31 Years of Landsat Imagery

Multi‐Centennial‐Scale Variations of South American Summer Monsoon Intensity in the Southern Central Andes (24–27°S) During the Late Holocene

Carbon dynamics in high‐Andean tropical cushion peatlands: A review of geographic patterns and potential drivers

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