Widespread global peatland establishment and persistence over the last 130,000 y
2019
Glacial−
interglacialvariations in CO 2 and methane in polar
ice coreshave been attributed, in part, to changes in global wetland extent, but the wetland distribution before the
Last Glacial Maximum(LGM, 21 ka to 18 ka) remains virtually unknown. We present a study of global peatland extent and carbon (C) stocks through the last glacial cycle (130 ka to present) using a newly compiled database of 1,063 detailed stratigraphic records of
peatdeposits buried by mineral sediments, as well as a global peatland model. Quantitative agreement between modeling and observations shows extensive
peataccumulation before the LGM in northern latitudes (>40°N), particularly during warmer periods including the last
interglacial(130 ka to 116 ka, MIS 5e) and the interstadial (57 ka to 29 ka, MIS 3). During cooling periods of glacial advance and permafrost formation, the burial of northern peatlands by glaciers and mineral sediments decreased active peatland extent, thickness, and modeled C stocks by 70 to 90% from warmer times. Tropical peatland extent and C stocks show little temporal variation throughout the study period. While the increased burial of northern
peatswas correlated with cooling periods, the burial of
tropical peatwas predominately driven by changes in sea level and regional hydrology.
Peatburial by mineral sediments represents a mechanism for long-term terrestrial C storage in the
Earth system. These results show that northern peatlands accumulate significant C stocks during warmer times, indicating their potential for C sequestration during the warming
Anthropocene.
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