Pyrogenic Carbon Contributes Substantially to Carbon Storage in Intact and Degraded Northern Peatlands
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Pyrogenic Carbon Contributes Substantially to Carbon Storage in Intact and Degraded Northern Peatlands. / Leifeld, Jens; Alewell, Christine; Bader, Cédric; Krüger, Jan Paul; Mueller, Carsten W.; Sommer, Michael; Steffens, Markus; Szidat, Sönke.
In: Land Degradation and Development, Vol. 29, No. 7, 2018, p. 2082-2091.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Pyrogenic Carbon Contributes Substantially to Carbon Storage in Intact and Degraded Northern Peatlands
AU - Leifeld, Jens
AU - Alewell, Christine
AU - Bader, Cédric
AU - Krüger, Jan Paul
AU - Mueller, Carsten W.
AU - Sommer, Michael
AU - Steffens, Markus
AU - Szidat, Sönke
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Pyrogenic carbon (PyC) derives from incomplete combustion of organic matter and is ubiquitous in terrestrial and aquatic systems. Most PyC is inherently more stable against decomposition than plant residues, and PyC therefore forms an important component of the global carbon (C) cycle. During the Holocene, about 436 Pg organic C accumulated in northern peatlands, and we hypothesize that PyC may contribute substantially to that C stock. We studied 70 samples from 19 intact and degraded European peatland sites and analyzed their PyC content by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular modeling and peat age and accumulation by radiocarbon dating. Classification of a peatland as either intact or degraded was based on the comparison between apparent and expected long-term C accumulation rates. On average, PyC amounted for 13·5% of soil C across sites, and accounted for up to 50% at single sites. The amount of PyC increased significantly with peat age. Degraded peatlands had lost approximately 56 kg C m−2, half of their former C stock. However, degraded peat had higher PyC contents than intact one. Selective enrichment of PyC during both peat build-up and decomposition seems to be an important factor fostering PyC accumulation. Assignment of our results to peatlands of the northern hemisphere, stratified by age, revealed an estimated PyC stock of 62 (±22) Pg. Our estimate indicates a substantial and hitherto unquantified contribution of northern peatlands to global PyC storage.
AB - Pyrogenic carbon (PyC) derives from incomplete combustion of organic matter and is ubiquitous in terrestrial and aquatic systems. Most PyC is inherently more stable against decomposition than plant residues, and PyC therefore forms an important component of the global carbon (C) cycle. During the Holocene, about 436 Pg organic C accumulated in northern peatlands, and we hypothesize that PyC may contribute substantially to that C stock. We studied 70 samples from 19 intact and degraded European peatland sites and analyzed their PyC content by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular modeling and peat age and accumulation by radiocarbon dating. Classification of a peatland as either intact or degraded was based on the comparison between apparent and expected long-term C accumulation rates. On average, PyC amounted for 13·5% of soil C across sites, and accounted for up to 50% at single sites. The amount of PyC increased significantly with peat age. Degraded peatlands had lost approximately 56 kg C m−2, half of their former C stock. However, degraded peat had higher PyC contents than intact one. Selective enrichment of PyC during both peat build-up and decomposition seems to be an important factor fostering PyC accumulation. Assignment of our results to peatlands of the northern hemisphere, stratified by age, revealed an estimated PyC stock of 62 (±22) Pg. Our estimate indicates a substantial and hitherto unquantified contribution of northern peatlands to global PyC storage.
KW - NMR spectroscopy
KW - organic soil
KW - pyrogenic carbon
KW - radiocarbon
KW - soil degradation
U2 - 10.1002/ldr.2812
DO - 10.1002/ldr.2812
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85031397580
VL - 29
SP - 2082
EP - 2091
JO - Land Degradation and Development
JF - Land Degradation and Development
SN - 1085-3278
IS - 7
ER -
ID: 238953354