Rapid Early Development of Circumarctic Peatlands and Atmospheric CH 4 and CO 2 Variations
- 13 October 2006
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 314 (5797), 285-288
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1131722
Abstract
An analysis of 1516 radiocarbon dates demonstrates that the development of the current circumarctic peatlands began ∼16.5 thousand years ago (ka) and expanded explosively between 12 and 8 ka in concert with high summer insolation and increasing temperatures. Their rapid development contributed to the sustained peak in CH 4 and modest decline of CO 2 during the early Holocene and likely contributed to CH 4 and CO 2 fluctuations during earlier interglacial and interstadial transitions. Given the decreased tempo of peatland initiation in the late Holocene and the transition of many from fens (which generated high levels of CH 4 ) to ombrotrophic bogs, a neoglacial expansion of northern peatlands cannot explain the increase in atmospheric CH 4 that occurred after 6 ka.Keywords
This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- Atmospheric Methane and Nitrous Oxide of the Late Pleistocene from Antarctic Ice CoresScience, 2005
- Evidence for an ice-free Wrangel Island, northeast Siberia during the Last Glacial MaximumBoreas, 2005
- CH4 sources estimated from atmospheric observations of CH4 and its 13C/12C isotopic ratios: 1. Inverse modeling of source processesGlobal Biogeochemical Cycles, 2004
- Evidence for substantial accumulation rate variability in Antarctica during the Holocene, through synchronization of CO 2 in the Taylor Dome, Dome C and DML ice coresEarth and Planetary Science Letters, 2004
- On the origin and timing of rapid changes in atmospheric methane during the Last Glacial PeriodGlobal Biogeochemical Cycles, 2000
- Changes in the atmospheric CH4 gradient between Greenland and Antarctica during the Last Glacial and the transition to the HoloceneGeophysical Research Letters, 2000
- Controls on CH4 emissions from a northern peatlandGlobal Biogeochemical Cycles, 1999
- Changes in the atmospheric CH4 gradient between Greenland and Antarctica during the HoloceneJournal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 1997
- Toward an Integrated Model for Raised‐Bog Development: Theory and Field EvidenceEcology, 1995
- Northern Peatlands: Role in the Carbon Cycle and Probable Responses to Climatic WarmingEcological Applications, 1991