Beyond the Permafrost Carbon Bomb: Insights and future directions for arctic and boreal wetland research
Presenter
Dr.
Claire
Treat
Dept.
of
Environmental
and
Biological
Sciences
University
of
Eastern
Finland
Kuopio,
Finland
Abstract
One
of
the
greatest
challenges
of
the
21st
century
is
understanding
the
effects,
feedbacks,
and
adaptation
of
the
earth
system
and
critical
zone
to
changing
climate.
In
wetlands,
biology,
hydrology,
and
geology
intersect
in
ways
to
produce
dynamics
that
are
unique
within
the
landscape.
Wetlands
are
also
important
for
water
quality,
flood
mitigation,
wildlife
habitat,
recreation,
scenic
beauty,
and
as
a
globally
significant
soil
carbon
reservoir
and
source
of
atmospheric
methane.
In
many
northern
wetlands,
the
carbon
stored
in
peatlands
is
quite
vulnerable
to
climate
change
because
it
is
protected
from
decomposition,
either
by
being
inundated
or
frozen
in
permafrost.
Environmental
changes,
such
as
permafrost
thaw
in
boreal
and
tundra
regions,
can
cause
drastic
changes
in
the
critical
zone.
I
will
discuss
recent
advances
in
understanding
the
carbon
and
nitrogen
feedbacks
between
these
northern
regions
and
climate
through
changes
in
greenhouse
gas
emissions
related
to
permafrost
thaw
and
other
disturbances,
as
well
as
factors
that
still
constitute
large
uncertainties.