Expert assessment of future vulnerability of the global peatland carbon sink

Loisel, J.; Gallego-Sala, A. V.; Amesbury, M. J.; Magnan, G.; Anshari, G.; Beilman, D. W.; Benavides, J. C.; Blewett, J.; Camill, P.; Charman, D. J.; Chawchai, S.; Hedgpeth, A.; Kleinen, T.; Korhola, A.; Large, D.; Mansilla, C. A.; M�ller, J.; van Bellen, S.; West, J. B.; Yu, Z.; Bubier, J. L.; Garneau, M.; Moore, T.; Sannel, A. B. K.; Page, S.; V�liranta, M.; Bechtold, M.; Brovkin, V.; Cole, L. E. S.; Chanton, J. P.; Christensen, T. R.; Davies, M. A.; De Vleeschouwer, F.; Finkelstein, S. A.; Frolking, S.; Ga?ka, M.; Gandois, L.; Girkin, N.; Harris, L. I.; Heinemeyer, A.; Hoyt, A. M.; Jones, M. C.; Joos, F.; Juutinen, S.; Kaiser, K.; Lacourse, T.; Lamentowicz, M.; Larmola, T.; Leifeld, J.; Lohila, A.; Milner, A. M.; Minkkinen, K.; Moss, P.; Naafs, B. D. A.; Nichols, J.; O�Donnell, J.; Payne, R.; Philben, M.; Piilo, S.; Quillet, A.; Ratnayake, A. S.; Roland, T. P.; Sj�gersten, S.; Sonnentag, O.; Swindles, G. T.; Swinnen, W.; Talbot, J.; Treat, C.; Valach, A. C.; Wu, J.

Abstract

© 2020, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited. The carbon balance of peatlands is predicted to shift from a sink to a source this century. However, peatland ecosystems are still omitted from the main Earth system models that are used for future climate change projections, and they are not considered in integrated assessment models that are used in impact and mitigation studies. By using evidence synthesized from the literature and an expert elicitation, we define and quantify the leading drivers of change that have impacted peatland carbon stocks during the Holocene and predict their effect during this century and in the far future. We also identify uncertainties and knowledge gaps in the scientific community and provide insight towards better integration of peatlands into modelling frameworks. Given the importance of the contribution by peatlands to the global carbon cycle, this study shows that peatland science is a critical research area and that we still have a long way to go to fully understand the peatland–carbon–climate nexus.

Citation

Loisel, J., Gallego-Sala, A. V., Amesbury, M. J., Magnan, G., Anshari, G., Beilman, D. W., …Wu, J. (2020). Expert assessment of future vulnerability of the global peatland carbon sink. Nature Climate Change, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-00944-0

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 1, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Dec 7, 2020
• Publication Date: Dec 7, 2020
• Deposit Date: Dec 11, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 8, 2021
• Journal: Nature Climate Change
• Print ISSN: 1758-678X
• Electronic ISSN: 1758-6798
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-00944-0
• Keywords: Social Sciences (miscellaneous); Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5141204
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-00944-0
• Additional Information: Loisel, J., Gallego-Sala, A.V., Amesbury, M.J. et al. Expert assessment of future vulnerability of the global peatland carbon sink. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-00944-0