Warming response of peatland CO2 sink is sensitive to seasonality in warming trends

M. Helbig (), T. Živković, P. Alekseychik, M. Aurela, T. S. El-Madany, E. S. Euskirchen, L. B. Flanagan, T. J. Griffis, P. J. Hanson, J. Hattakka, C. Helfter, T. Hirano, E. R. Humphreys, G. Kiely, R. K. Kolka, T. Laurila, P. G. Leahy, A. Lohila, I. Mammarella, M. B. Nilsson, A. Panov, F. J. W. Parmentier, M. Peichl, J. Rinne, D. T. Roman, O. Sonnentag, Tuittila E.-S, M. Ueyama, T. Vesala, P. Vestin, S. Weldon, P. Weslien and S. Zaehle
Additional contact information
M. Helbig: Dalhousie University
T. Živković: Dalhousie University
P. Alekseychik: Natural Resources Institute Finland
M. Aurela: Finnish Meteorological Institute
T. S. El-Madany: Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
E. S. Euskirchen: University of Alaska Fairbanks
L. B. Flanagan: University of Lethbridge
T. J. Griffis: University of Minnesota
P. J. Hanson: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
J. Hattakka: Finnish Meteorological Institute
C. Helfter: UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology
T. Hirano: Hokkaido University
E. R. Humphreys: Carleton University
G. Kiely: University College Cork
R. K. Kolka: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station
T. Laurila: Finnish Meteorological Institute
P. G. Leahy: University College Cork
A. Lohila: Finnish Meteorological Institute
I. Mammarella: University of Helsinki
M. B. Nilsson: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
A. Panov: KSC SB RAS
F. J. W. Parmentier: University of Oslo
M. Peichl: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
J. Rinne: Lund University
D. T. Roman: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station
O. Sonnentag: Université de Montréal
Tuittila E.-S: University of Eastern Finland
M. Ueyama: Osaka Metropolitan University
T. Vesala: University of Helsinki
P. Vestin: Lund University
S. Weldon: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research
P. Weslien: University of Gothenburg
S. Zaehle: Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry

Nature Climate Change, 2022, vol. 12, issue 8, 743-749

Abstract: Abstract Peatlands have acted as net CO2 sinks over millennia, exerting a global climate cooling effect. Rapid warming at northern latitudes, where peatlands are abundant, can disturb their CO2 sink function. Here we show that sensitivity of peatland net CO2 exchange to warming changes in sign and magnitude across seasons, resulting in complex net CO2 sink responses. We use multiannual net CO2 exchange observations from 20 northern peatlands to show that warmer early summers are linked to increased net CO2 uptake, while warmer late summers lead to decreased net CO2 uptake. Thus, net CO2 sinks of peatlands in regions experiencing early summer warming, such as central Siberia, are more likely to persist under warmer climate conditions than are those in other regions. Our results will be useful to improve the design of future warming experiments and to better interpret large-scale trends in peatland net CO2 uptake over the coming few decades.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41558-022-01428-z

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