A Nordic study sheds new light on the role of northern peatlands in regulating the regional climate.
A Nordic study sheds new light on the role of northern peatlands in regulating the regional climate. According to the researchers, peatlands will remain carbon sinks until the end of this century, but their sink capacity will be substantially reduced after 2050, if the climate warms significantly.
Peatlands develop in waterlogged conditions which slow down plant decomposition rates, so that layers of dead plant material accumulate over many years as peat. They are a huge storehouse for significant quantities of carbon from the atmosphere. Despite only covering around 3% of the Earth’s surface, peatlands contain roughly a fifth of its soil carbon. In Europe, these ecosystems store five times more CO2 than forests.
A Nordic team of researchers used novel arctic modelling tools and previously published data on peatland carbon accumulation rates, vegetation and permafrost characteristics to study the role of northern peatlands in regulating the regional climate. A major concern is whether these ecosystems will continue to remain carbon sinks and help in mitigating climate change under changing climatic conditions. The modelling study, published in Global Change Biology, aims to address these important questions.
Read more at University Of Eastern Finland
Image Credit: Joshua Mayer from Madison, WI, USA
