Presented by: Dr. Nigel Roulet
Northern peatlands contain approximately 15 to 20% of the world’s terrestrial biological carbon (C). Peatlands accumulate C because of their physical and biogeochemical setting inhibits the decomposition of plant litter. A present, most northern peatlands are small sinks for atmospheric CO2 and small to large sources of atmospheric CH4. Since many of the ecological and biogeochemical processes in peatlands are mediated by the presence of water, if their hydrology is altered naturally or because climate and/or land-use change, the role of peatlands in C cycling could be modified. However, recent research has shown that many peatlands appear to be self-regulating complex systems because of a negative feedback between water storage and the production and decomposition of plant material. This means some peatlands display a certain degree of resilience. Understanding how peatlands self-regulate is critical to projecting their response to environmental change.