Modelling Holocene peatland dynamics

• Main Authors: Chaudhary, Nitin, Miller, Paul A, Smith, Benjamin
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2017
• Subjects: Event label; File format; File name; File size; Mer_Bleue; PEATC; Peat corer; Stordalen_1; Stordalen_core1; Sweden; Uniform resource locator/link to file; Arctic; Canada; Bleue; Stordalen; Climate change
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.875116; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.875116

Dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) are designed for the study of past, present and future vegetation patterns together with associated biogeochemical cycles and climate feedbacks. However, current DGVMs lack functionality for the representation of peatlands, an important store of carbon at high latitudes. We demonstrate a new implementation of peatland dynamics in a customised "Arctic" version of the dynamic vegetation model LPJ-GUESS, simulating the long-term evolution of selected northern peatland ecosystems and assessing the effect of changing climate on peatland carbon balance. Our approach employs a dynamic multi-layer soil with representation of freeze-thaw processes and litter inputs from a dynamically-varying mixture of the main peatland plant functional types; mosses, dwarf shrubs and graminoids. The model was calibrated and tested for a sub-arctic mire in Stordalen, Sweden, and validated at a temperate bog site in Mer Bleue, Canada. A regional evaluation of simulated carbon fluxes, hydrology and vegetation dynamics encompassed additional locations spread across Scandinavia. Simulated peat accumulation was found to be generally consistent with published data and the model was able to capture reported long-term vegetation dynamics, water table position and carbon fluxes. A series of sensitivity experiments were carried out to investigate the vulnerability of high latitude peatlands to climate change. We found that the Stordalen mire may be expected to sequester more carbon in the first half of the 21st century due to milder and wetter climate conditions, a longer growing season, and CO2 fertilization effect, turning into a carbon source after mid-century because of higher decomposition rates in response to warming soils.