Strong climate impact on the carbon emission – burial balance inhigh latitude lakes

• Lakes play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle by burying C in sediments and emitting CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere. The strengths of these fundamentally different pathways are critical for quantifying effects of lakes upon the climate system. In this study, based on new high-resolution estimates in combination with literature data, we show a generally ten times higher emission:burial ratio in boreal compared to subarctic-arctic lakes. These results suggest a major bioclimatic impact on C cycling in lakes, as lakes in warmer boreal regions emit more and store relatively less C than lakes in colder arctic regions. Thus, our results reveal a previously unforeseen longterm climate feedback: if predictions of the northward expansion of the boreal biome are correct, C emissions of high latitude lakes may increase four-fold, corresponding to 14% of present global lake C evasion to the atmosphere. Such effects are of major importance for understanding feedbacks of climate warming on the continental source-sink function at high latitudes  

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Multidisciplinär geovetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Geosciences, Multidisciplinary (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Earth Sciences with Specialization Environmental Analysis

geovetenskap med inriktning mot miljöanalys

limnologi

Limnology

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

ovr (ämneskategori)