Latitudinal limits to the predicted increase of the peatland carbon sink with warming

Angela V. Gallego-Sala (), Dan J. Charman (), Simon Brewer, Susan E. Page, I. Colin Prentice, Pierre Friedlingstein, Steve Moreton, Matthew J. Amesbury, David W. Beilman, Svante Björck, Tatiana Blyakharchuk, Christopher Bochicchio, Robert K. Booth, Joan Bunbury, Philip Camill, Donna Carless, Rodney A. Chimner, Michael Clifford, Elizabeth Cressey, Colin Courtney-Mustaphi, François Vleeschouwer, Rixt Jong, Barbara Fialkiewicz-Koziel, Sarah A. Finkelstein, Michelle Garneau, Esther Githumbi, John Hribjlan, James Holmquist, Paul D. M. Hughes, Chris Jones, Miriam C. Jones, Edgar Karofeld, Eric S. Klein, Ulla Kokfelt, Atte Korhola, Terri Lacourse, Gael Roux, Mariusz Lamentowicz, David Large, Martin Lavoie, Julie Loisel, Helen Mackay, Glen M. MacDonald, Markku Makila, Gabriel Magnan, Robert Marchant, Katarzyna Marcisz, Antonio Martínez Cortizas, Charly Massa, Paul Mathijssen, Dmitri Mauquoy, Timothy Mighall, Fraser J. G. Mitchell, Patrick Moss, Jonathan Nichols, Pirita O. Oksanen, Lisa Orme, Maara S. Packalen, Stephen Robinson, Thomas P. Roland, Nicole K. Sanderson, A. Britta K. Sannel, Noemí Silva-Sánchez, Natascha Steinberg, Graeme T. Swindles, T. Edward Turner, Joanna Uglow, Minna Väliranta, Simon Bellen, Marjolein Linden, Bas Geel, Guoping Wang, Zicheng Yu, Joana Zaragoza-Castells and Yan Zhao
Additional contact information
Angela V. Gallego-Sala: University of Exeter
Dan J. Charman: University of Exeter
Simon Brewer: University of Utah
Susan E. Page: University of Leicester
I. Colin Prentice: Imperial College London
Pierre Friedlingstein: University of Exeter
Steve Moreton: NERC Radiocarbon Facility
Matthew J. Amesbury: University of Exeter
David W. Beilman: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Svante Björck: Lund University
Tatiana Blyakharchuk: Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Science (IMCES SB RAS)
Christopher Bochicchio: Lehigh University
Robert K. Booth: Lehigh University
Joan Bunbury: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Philip Camill: Bowdoin College
Donna Carless: University of Exeter
Rodney A. Chimner: Michigan Technical University
Michael Clifford: Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, DRI
Elizabeth Cressey: University of Exeter
Colin Courtney-Mustaphi: University of York
François Vleeschouwer: Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS
Rixt Jong: Lund University
Barbara Fialkiewicz-Koziel: Adam Mickiewicz University
Sarah A. Finkelstein: University of Toronto
Michelle Garneau: Université du Québec à Montréal
Esther Githumbi: University of York
John Hribjlan: Michigan Technical University
James Holmquist: University of California, Los Angeles
Paul D. M. Hughes: University of Southampton
Chris Jones: MET Office, Hadley Centre
Miriam C. Jones: USGS, Reston
Edgar Karofeld: University of Tartu
Eric S. Klein: University of Alaska, Anchorage
Ulla Kokfelt: Lund University
Atte Korhola: University of Helsinki
Terri Lacourse: University of Victoria
Gael Roux: Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS
Mariusz Lamentowicz: Adam Mickiewicz University
David Large: University of Nottingham
Martin Lavoie: Université Laval
Julie Loisel: Texas A&M University
Helen Mackay: Newcastle University
Glen M. MacDonald: University of California, Los Angeles
Markku Makila: Geological Survey of Finland
Gabriel Magnan: Université du Québec à Montréal
Robert Marchant: University of York
Katarzyna Marcisz: Adam Mickiewicz University
Antonio Martínez Cortizas: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
Charly Massa: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Paul Mathijssen: University of Helsinki
Dmitri Mauquoy: University of Aberdeen
Timothy Mighall: University of Aberdeen
Fraser J. G. Mitchell: Trinity College Dublin
Patrick Moss: The University of Queensland
Jonathan Nichols: Columbia University
Pirita O. Oksanen: University of Lapland
Lisa Orme: University of Exeter
Maara S. Packalen: Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Stephen Robinson: Champlain College
Thomas P. Roland: University of Exeter
Nicole K. Sanderson: University of Exeter
A. Britta K. Sannel: Stockholm University
Noemí Silva-Sánchez: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
Natascha Steinberg: University of Exeter
Graeme T. Swindles: University of Leeds
T. Edward Turner: University of Leeds
Joanna Uglow: University of Exeter
Minna Väliranta: University of Helsinki
Simon Bellen: Université du Québec à Montréal
Marjolein Linden: BIAX Consult
Bas Geel: Universiteit van Amsterdam
Guoping Wang: Chinese Academy of Science
Zicheng Yu: Lehigh University
Joana Zaragoza-Castells: University of Exeter
Yan Zhao: Chinese Academy of Science

Nature Climate Change, 2018, vol. 8, issue 10, 907-913

Abstract: Abstract The carbon sink potential of peatlands depends on the balance of carbon uptake by plants and microbial decomposition. The rates of both these processes will increase with warming but it remains unclear which will dominate the global peatland response. Here we examine the global relationship between peatland carbon accumulation rates during the last millennium and planetary-scale climate space. A positive relationship is found between carbon accumulation and cumulative photosynthetically active radiation during the growing season for mid- to high-latitude peatlands in both hemispheres. However, this relationship reverses at lower latitudes, suggesting that carbon accumulation is lower under the warmest climate regimes. Projections under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios indicate that the present-day global sink will increase slightly until around ad 2100 but decline thereafter. Peatlands will remain a carbon sink in the future, but their response to warming switches from a negative to a positive climate feedback (decreased carbon sink with warming) at the end of the twenty-first century.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41558-018-0271-1

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