Is the subarctic landscape still a carbon sink? Evidence from a detailed catchment balance

Climate warming raises the question whether high-latitude landscape still function as net carbon (C) sinks. By compiling an integrated C balance for an intensely studied subarctic catchment, we show that this catchment's C balance is not likely to be a strong current sink of C, a commonly held...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Lundin, Erik J., Klaminder, Jonatan, Giesler, Reiner, Persson, Andreas, Olefeldt, David, Heliasz, Michal, Christensen, Torben R., Karlsson, Jan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2016
Subjects:
carbon balance
subarctic
sink
source
aquatic ecosystems
terrestrial ecosystems
NORTHERN SWEDEN
ORGANIC-CARBON
CLIMATE-CHANGE
LAKES
VEGETATION
CYCLE
CO2
RESPIRATION
METHANE
FUTURE
Northern Sweden
Subarctic
Online Access:https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/is-the-subarctic-landscape-still-a-carbon-sink-evidence-from-a-detailed-catchment-balance(215720c0-b79e-4b10-9c4f-602fd48f96eb).html
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL066970
Description
Summary:Climate warming raises the question whether high-latitude landscape still function as net carbon (C) sinks. By compiling an integrated C balance for an intensely studied subarctic catchment, we show that this catchment's C balance is not likely to be a strong current sink of C, a commonly held assumption. In fact, it is more plausible (71% probability) that the studied catchment functions as a C source (-1120gCm(-2)yr(-1)). Analyses of individual fluxes indicate that soil and aquatic C losses offset C sequestering in other landscape components (e.g., peatlands and aboveground forest biomass). Our results stress the importance of fully integrated catchment C balance estimates and highlight the importance of upland soils and their interaction with the aquatic network for the catchment C balance.

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