The capacity of northern peatlands for long-term carbon sequestration

Alexandrov, G. A.; Brovkin, Victor; Kleinen, Thomas; Yu, Zicheng

doi:10.5194/bg-17-47-2020

Cited by 30 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Peatlands are an important component of the global carbon cycle due to the long-term accumulation of organic matter in peat soils (Gorham, 1991;Parish et al, 2008;Alexandrov et al, 2020). Carbon (C) accumulated in peatland soils over the past millenia due to the greater carbon uptake via photosynthesis (gross primary production, GPP) compared to the carbon lost through ecosystem respiration, methane emissions and waterborne export.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cushion bog plant community responses to passive warming in southern Patagonia

Pancotto¹,

Holl²,

Escobar³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Abstract. Vascular plant-dominated cushion bogs, which are exclusive to the southern hemisphere, are highly productive and constitute large sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide compared to their moss-dominated counterparts around the globe. In this study, we experimentally investigated how a cushion bog plant community responded to elevated surface temperature conditions as they are predicted to occur in a future climate. We conducted the study in a cushion bog dominated by Astelia pumila on Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. We installed a year-round passive warming experiment using semicircular plastic walls that raised average near-surface air temperatures between 0.4 °C and 0.7 °C (n = 3). We focused on characterizing differences in morphological cushion plant traits and in carbon dioxide exchange dynamics using chamber gas flux measurements. We used a mechanistic modeling approach to quantify physiological plant traits and to partition the net carbon dioxide flux into its two components photosynthesis and total ecosystem respiration. We found that A. pumila reduced its photosynthetic activity under elevated temperatures. At the same time, we observed enhanced respiration which we largely attribute, due to the limited effect of our passive warming on soil temperatures, to an increase in autotrophic respiration. Passively warmed A. pumila cushions sequestered between 55 % and 85 % less carbon dioxide than untreated control cushions over the main growing season. These results suggest that future warming could decrease the carbon sink function of austral cushion bogs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cushion bog plant community responses to passive warming in southern Patagonia

Pancotto¹,

Holl²,

Escobar³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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show abstract

“…Therefore, an important question is how quickly, and over what spatial and temporal scales, erosion will limit the size of the peatland carbon reservoir in different geomorphic settings. Answers to this could have profound consequences for current and future management of peatland and for predictions of the capacity of the peatland carbon reservoir (Alexandrov et al, 2020;J. E. Nichols & Peteet, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time, hydrologic landscape and the long-term storage of peatland carbon in sedimentary basins

Large

Marshall

Jochmann

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Peatland carbon may enter into long-term crustal storage in sedimentary basins where it occurs as either coal or lignite. To understand the process by which this happens requires a conceptual bridge between peatland processes measured on Holocene timescales and processes over the much greater timescales required to explain features of substantial deposits of coal and lignite. Key to this conceptual bridge are the consequences of extrapolating Holocene peatland processes over long timeframes. However, these consequences are not considered by either peat scientists or coal geologists, and the absence of this analysis results not

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“…All rights reserved. management of peatland and for predictions of the capacity of the peatland carbon reservoir (Alexandrov et al, 2020;Nichols and Peteet, 2019). For example, upland blanket bog should reach its natural erosional limits faster than lowland raised bogs.…”

Section: Accepted Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Time, Hydrologic Landscape, and the Long‐Term Storage of Peatland Carbon in Sedimentary Basins

Large

Marshall

Jochmann³

et al. 2021

JGR Earth Surface

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• To understand how peat enters long term carbon storage requires consideration of peat accumulation over periods of 10 5 to 10 6 years. • Peat accumulation over these timeframes requires sustained storage of water above depositional base level • This has profound implications for our understanding of peat in the earth system and the interpretation of the geological record Accepted Article This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as

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The capacity of northern peatlands for long-term carbon sequestration

Cited by 30 publications

References 30 publications

Cushion bog plant community responses to passive warming in southern Patagonia

Cushion bog plant community responses to passive warming in southern Patagonia

Time, hydrologic landscape and the long-term storage of peatland carbon in sedimentary basins

Time, Hydrologic Landscape, and the Long‐Term Storage of Peatland Carbon in Sedimentary Basins

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