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Widespread Global Peatland Establishment and Persistence over the Last 130,000 YGlacial−interglacial variations in CO2 (exp) and methane in polar ice cores have been attributed, in part, to changes in global wetland extent, but the wetland distribution before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 21 ka to 18 ka) remains virtually unknown. We present a study of global peatland extent and carbon (C) stocks through the last glacial cycle (130 ka to present) using a newly compiled database of 1,063 detailed stratigraphic records of peat deposits buried by mineral sediments, as well as a global peatland model. Quantitative agreement between modeling and observations shows extensive peat accumulation before the LGM in northern latitudes (>40°N), particularly during warmer periods including the last interglacial (130 ka to 116 ka, MIS 5e) and the interstadial (57 ka to 29 ka, MIS 3). During cooling periods of glacial advance and permafrost formation, the burial of northern peatlands by glaciers and mineral sediments decreased active peatland extent, thickness, and modeled C stocks by 70 to 90% from warmer times. Tropical peatland extent and C stocks show little temporal variation throughout the study period. While the increased burial of northern peats was correlated with cooling periods, the burial of tropical peat was predominately driven by changes in sea level and regional hydrology. Peat burial by mineral sediments represents a mechanism for long-term terrestrial C storage in the Earth system. These results show that northern peatlands accumulate significant C stocks during warmer times, indicating their potential for C sequestration during the warming Anthropocene.
Document ID
20190001736
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Treat, Claire C.
(University of Eastern Finland Savonlinna, Finland)
Kleinen, Thomas
(Max-Planck-Inst. Heidelberg, Germany)
Broothaerts, Nils
(Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Leuven, Belgium)
Dalton, April S.
(University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Dommain, René
(Potsdam Univ. Potsdam, Germany)
Drexlr, Judith Z.
(Geological Survey Sacramento, CA, United States)
Finkelstein, Sarah A.
(University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Grosse, Guido
(Potsdam Univ. Potsdam, Germany)
Hope, Geoffrey
(Australian National University Canberra, Australia)
Hutchings, Jack
(Florida State Univ. Gainesville, FL, United States)
Jones, Miriam C.
(United States Geological Survey (USGS) Reston, VA, United States)
Kuhry, Peter
(Stockholm University Stockholm, Sweden)
Lacourse, Terri
(Victoria Univ. British Columbia, Canada)
Lähteenoja, Outi
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Loisel, Julie
(Texas A&M Univ. College Station, TX, United States)
Notebaert, Bastiaan
(Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Leuven, Belgium)
Payne, Richard J.
(University of York York, United Kingdom)
Peteet, Dorothy M.
(NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies New York, NY, United States)
Sannel, A. Britt a K.
(Stockholm University Stockholm, Sweden)
Stelling, Jonathan M.
(Lehigh Univ. Bethlehem, PA, United States)
Swindles, Graeme T.
(University of Leeds Leeds, United Kingdom)
Talbot, Julie
(Montreal Univ. Quebec, Canada)
Tarnocai, Charles
(Ministry of Agriculture and Food Guelph, Ontario, Canada)
Verstraeten, Gert
(Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Leuven, Belgium)
Williams, Christopher J.
(Franklin and Marshall Coll. Lancaster, PA, United States)
Xia, Zhengyu
(Lehigh Univ. Bethlehem, PA, United States)
Yu, Zicheng
(Lehigh Univ. Bethlehem, PA, United States)
Väliranta, Minna
(University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland)
Hättestrand, Martina
(Stockholm University Stockholm, Sweden)
Alexanderson, Helena
(Lund University Lund, Sweden)
Brovkin, Victor
(Max-Planck-Inst. Heidelberg, Germany)
Douglas, Thomas A.
(Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab. Fort Wainright, AK, United States)
Strauss, Jens
(Alfred-Wegener-Inst. for Polar and Ocean Research Potsdam, Germany)
Date Acquired
March 20, 2019
Publication Date
January 7, 2019
Publication Information
Publication: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
Volume: 116
Issue: 11
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN66093
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Use by or on behalf of the US Gov. Permitted.
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