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Response of the peatland carbon dioxide sink function to future climate change scenarios and water level management

Salimi, Shokoufeh LU ; Berggren, Martin LU and Scholz, Miklas LU (2021) In Global Change Biology 27(20). p.5154-5168
Abstract

Stress factors such as climate change and drought may switch the role of temperate peatlands from carbon dioxide (CO2) sinks to sources, leading to positive feedback to global climate change. Water level management has been regarded as an important climate change mitigation strategy as it can sustain the natural net CO2 sink function of a peatland. Little is known about how resilient peatlands are in the face of future climate change scenarios, as well as how effectively water level management can sustain the CO2 sink function to mitigate global warming. The authors assess the effect of climate change on CO2 exchange of south Swedish temperate peatlands, which were either unmanaged or subject... (More)

Stress factors such as climate change and drought may switch the role of temperate peatlands from carbon dioxide (CO2) sinks to sources, leading to positive feedback to global climate change. Water level management has been regarded as an important climate change mitigation strategy as it can sustain the natural net CO2 sink function of a peatland. Little is known about how resilient peatlands are in the face of future climate change scenarios, as well as how effectively water level management can sustain the CO2 sink function to mitigate global warming. The authors assess the effect of climate change on CO2 exchange of south Swedish temperate peatlands, which were either unmanaged or subject to water level regulation. Climate chamber simulations were conducted using experimental peatland mesocosms exposed to current and future representative concentration pathway (RCP) climate scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5). The results showed that all managed and unmanaged systems under future climate scenarios could serve as CO2 sinks throughout the experimental period. However, the 2018 extreme drought caused the unmanaged mesocosms under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 switch from a net CO2 sink to a source during summer. Surprisingly, the unmanaged mesocosms under RCP 2.6 benefited from the warmer climate, and served as the best sink among the other unmanaged systems. Water level management had the greatest effect on the CO2 sink function under RCP 8.5 and RCP 4.5, which improved their CO2 sink capability up to six and two times, respectively. Under the current climate scenario, water level management had a negative effect on the CO2 sink function, and it had almost no effect under RCP 2.6. Therefore, the researchers conclude that water level management is necessary for RCP 8.5, beneficial for RCP 4.5 and unimportant for RCP 2.6 and the current climate.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
bog, climate chamber-based mesocosm experiment, drought, net ecosystem exchange, representative concentration pathway, vascular plant
in
Global Change Biology
volume
27
issue
20
pages
5154 - 5168
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:34157201
  • scopus:85109365280
ISSN
1354-1013
DOI
10.1111/gcb.15753
project
Water level management of wetlands in response to current and future RCP climate change scenarios
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
27110747-630b-47e1-80e7-58bf838f6ce2
date added to LUP
2021-08-23 12:03:04
date last changed
2024-04-20 10:00:15
@article{27110747-630b-47e1-80e7-58bf838f6ce2,
  abstract     = {{<p>Stress factors such as climate change and drought may switch the role of temperate peatlands from carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) sinks to sources, leading to positive feedback to global climate change. Water level management has been regarded as an important climate change mitigation strategy as it can sustain the natural net CO<sub>2</sub> sink function of a peatland. Little is known about how resilient peatlands are in the face of future climate change scenarios, as well as how effectively water level management can sustain the CO<sub>2</sub> sink function to mitigate global warming. The authors assess the effect of climate change on CO<sub>2</sub> exchange of south Swedish temperate peatlands, which were either unmanaged or subject to water level regulation. Climate chamber simulations were conducted using experimental peatland mesocosms exposed to current and future representative concentration pathway (RCP) climate scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5). The results showed that all managed and unmanaged systems under future climate scenarios could serve as CO<sub>2</sub> sinks throughout the experimental period. However, the 2018 extreme drought caused the unmanaged mesocosms under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 switch from a net CO<sub>2</sub> sink to a source during summer. Surprisingly, the unmanaged mesocosms under RCP 2.6 benefited from the warmer climate, and served as the best sink among the other unmanaged systems. Water level management had the greatest effect on the CO<sub>2</sub> sink function under RCP 8.5 and RCP 4.5, which improved their CO<sub>2</sub> sink capability up to six and two times, respectively. Under the current climate scenario, water level management had a negative effect on the CO<sub>2</sub> sink function, and it had almost no effect under RCP 2.6. Therefore, the researchers conclude that water level management is necessary for RCP 8.5, beneficial for RCP 4.5 and unimportant for RCP 2.6 and the current climate.</p>}},
  author       = {{Salimi, Shokoufeh and Berggren, Martin and Scholz, Miklas}},
  issn         = {{1354-1013}},
  keywords     = {{bog; climate chamber-based mesocosm experiment; drought; net ecosystem exchange; representative concentration pathway; vascular plant}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{20}},
  pages        = {{5154--5168}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Global Change Biology}},
  title        = {{Response of the peatland carbon dioxide sink function to future climate change scenarios and water level management}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15753}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/gcb.15753}},
  volume       = {{27}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}