View in EDS

Peatlands Have the Potential to Emerge as Significant Contributors to Future Climate Warming.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Peatlands Have the Potential to Emerge as Significant Contributors to Future Climate Warming.
Authors: Chaudhary, Nitin1,2 (AUTHOR) nitin.chaudhary@mgeo.lu.se, Tuovinen, Juha‐Pekka3 (AUTHOR), Kou, Dan4 (AUTHOR), Deb Burman, Pramit Kumar5,6 (AUTHOR), Lodh, Abhishek1,7 (AUTHOR), Lamba, Shubhangi8 (AUTHOR), Shurpali, Narasinha9 (AUTHOR), Schurgers, Guy10 (AUTHOR), Page, Susan E.11 (AUTHOR), Westermann, Sebastian12,13 (AUTHOR), Zhang, Wenxin1,14 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences. Apr2026, Vol. 131 Issue 4, p1-13. 13p.
Subject Terms: *Peatlands, *Global warming, *Radiative forcing, *Greenhouse gases, *Greenhouse gas mitigation, *Carbon sequestration, *Carbon cycle
Abstract: Peatlands store a substantial amount of carbon in the terrestrial ecosystem. They are both long‐term sinks of organic carbon and a major natural source of atmospheric methane. The accumulation of carbon is a result of net primary production surpassing decomposition rates over millennia, whereas methane production is intricately linked to the anaerobic decomposition of carbon mass. Warming‐induced alterations in net primary productivity and decomposition rates are impacting net emissions, thereby jeopardizing the carbon sink capacity of these carbon‐rich ecosystems and potentially turning them into sources of carbon dioxide and methane. In this study, we modeled the past and future trends of peatland carbon and methane fluxes and their influence on the climate system. We found that peatlands >25°N will remain a carbon sink and methane source under a low‐warming scenario (RCP2.6), but they would shift from being not only a source of methane but also a source of carbon dioxide under a high‐warming scenario (RCP8.5) by the mid‐21st century leading to a strong radiative forcing (0.25 W m−2) by the end of the 23rd century. This underlines the potential warming feedback in which peatland radiative forcing on the climate system would shift from negative to positive in the future. Plain Language Summary: Peatlands store a substantial amount of carbon in the terrestrial ecosystem. They are both long‐term sinks of organic carbon and a major natural source of atmospheric methane. The accumulation of carbon is a result of net primary production surpassing decomposition rates over millennia, whereas methane production is intricately linked to the anaerobic decomposition of carbon mass. Warming‐induced alterations in net primary productivity and decomposition rates are impacting net emissions, thereby jeopardizing the carbon sink capacity of these carbon‐rich ecosystems and potentially turning them into sources of carbon dioxide and methane. In this study, we examined how peatlands, which store large amounts of carbon and release methane, impact the climate. Peatlands north of 25°N will continue to absorb carbon and release methane if global warming remains low. However, under more extreme warming, these peatlands could begin releasing both carbon dioxide and methane by the mid‐21st century, significantly increasing warming by the 23rd century. This shift suggests that peatlands, which currently help cool the climate, could eventually contribute to further warming. Key Points: Over millennia, peatlands have stored carbon, released methane, and overall slightly cooled the EarthUnder low warming, peatlands keep absorbing CO2, while still releasing some CH4, so they continue to have an overall cooling effectUnder strong warming, peatlands start releasing both CO2, and CH4, so instead of cooling the climate they make it warmer [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: GreenFILE
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: 8gh
DbLabel: GreenFILE
An: 193322747
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Peatlands Have the Potential to Emerge as Significant Contributors to Future Climate Warming.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chaudhary%2C+Nitin%22">Chaudhary, Nitin</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> nitin.chaudhary@mgeo.lu.se</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tuovinen%2C+Juha‐Pekka%22">Tuovinen, Juha‐Pekka</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kou%2C+Dan%22">Kou, Dan</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Deb+Burman%2C+Pramit+Kumar%22">Deb Burman, Pramit Kumar</searchLink><relatesTo>5,6</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lodh%2C+Abhishek%22">Lodh, Abhishek</searchLink><relatesTo>1,7</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lamba%2C+Shubhangi%22">Lamba, Shubhangi</searchLink><relatesTo>8</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Shurpali%2C+Narasinha%22">Shurpali, Narasinha</searchLink><relatesTo>9</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Schurgers%2C+Guy%22">Schurgers, Guy</searchLink><relatesTo>10</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Page%2C+Susan+E%2E%22">Page, Susan E.</searchLink><relatesTo>11</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Westermann%2C+Sebastian%22">Westermann, Sebastian</searchLink><relatesTo>12,13</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhang%2C+Wenxin%22">Zhang, Wenxin</searchLink><relatesTo>1,14</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Geophysical+Research%2E+Biogeosciences%22">Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences</searchLink>. Apr2026, Vol. 131 Issue 4, p1-13. 13p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subject Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Peatlands%22">Peatlands</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Global+warming%22">Global warming</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Radiative+forcing%22">Radiative forcing</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Greenhouse+gases%22">Greenhouse gases</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Greenhouse+gas+mitigation%22">Greenhouse gas mitigation</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Carbon+sequestration%22">Carbon sequestration</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Carbon+cycle%22">Carbon cycle</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Peatlands store a substantial amount of carbon in the terrestrial ecosystem. They are both long‐term sinks of organic carbon and a major natural source of atmospheric methane. The accumulation of carbon is a result of net primary production surpassing decomposition rates over millennia, whereas methane production is intricately linked to the anaerobic decomposition of carbon mass. Warming‐induced alterations in net primary productivity and decomposition rates are impacting net emissions, thereby jeopardizing the carbon sink capacity of these carbon‐rich ecosystems and potentially turning them into sources of carbon dioxide and methane. In this study, we modeled the past and future trends of peatland carbon and methane fluxes and their influence on the climate system. We found that peatlands >25°N will remain a carbon sink and methane source under a low‐warming scenario (RCP2.6), but they would shift from being not only a source of methane but also a source of carbon dioxide under a high‐warming scenario (RCP8.5) by the mid‐21st century leading to a strong radiative forcing (0.25 W m−2) by the end of the 23rd century. This underlines the potential warming feedback in which peatland radiative forcing on the climate system would shift from negative to positive in the future. Plain Language Summary: Peatlands store a substantial amount of carbon in the terrestrial ecosystem. They are both long‐term sinks of organic carbon and a major natural source of atmospheric methane. The accumulation of carbon is a result of net primary production surpassing decomposition rates over millennia, whereas methane production is intricately linked to the anaerobic decomposition of carbon mass. Warming‐induced alterations in net primary productivity and decomposition rates are impacting net emissions, thereby jeopardizing the carbon sink capacity of these carbon‐rich ecosystems and potentially turning them into sources of carbon dioxide and methane. In this study, we examined how peatlands, which store large amounts of carbon and release methane, impact the climate. Peatlands north of 25°N will continue to absorb carbon and release methane if global warming remains low. However, under more extreme warming, these peatlands could begin releasing both carbon dioxide and methane by the mid‐21st century, significantly increasing warming by the 23rd century. This shift suggests that peatlands, which currently help cool the climate, could eventually contribute to further warming. Key Points: Over millennia, peatlands have stored carbon, released methane, and overall slightly cooled the EarthUnder low warming, peatlands keep absorbing CO2, while still releasing some CH4, so they continue to have an overall cooling effectUnder strong warming, peatlands start releasing both CO2, and CH4, so instead of cooling the climate they make it warmer [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=8gh&AN=193322747
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1029/2025JG009540
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 13
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Peatlands
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Global warming
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Radiative forcing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Greenhouse gases
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Greenhouse gas mitigation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Carbon sequestration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Carbon cycle
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Peatlands Have the Potential to Emerge as Significant Contributors to Future Climate Warming.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Chaudhary, Nitin
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Tuovinen, Juha‐Pekka
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Kou, Dan
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Deb Burman, Pramit Kumar
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Lodh, Abhishek
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Lamba, Shubhangi
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Shurpali, Narasinha
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Schurgers, Guy
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Page, Susan E.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Westermann, Sebastian
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Zhang, Wenxin
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 04
              Text: Apr2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 21698953
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 131
            – Type: issue
              Value: 4
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences
              Type: main
ResultId 1