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Is the subarctic landscape still a carbon sink? Evidence from a detailed catchment balance
Author(s) -
Lundin Erik J.,
Klaminder Jonatan,
Giesler Reiner,
Persson Andreas,
Olefeldt David,
Heliasz Michal,
Christensen Torben R.,
Karlsson Jan
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl066970
Subject(s) - subarctic climate , sink (geography) , environmental science , peat , drainage basin , carbon sink , water balance , watershed , soil water , climate change , catchment hydrology , hydrology (agriculture) , ecology , geography , geology , soil science , cartography , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , computer science , biology
Climate warming raises the question whether high‐latitude landscape still function as net carbon (C) sinks. By compiling an integrated C balance for an intensely studied subarctic catchment, we show that this catchment's C balance is not likely to be a strong current sink of C, a commonly held assumption. In fact, it is more plausible (71% probability) that the studied catchment functions as a C source (−11 ± 20 g C m −2 yr −1 ). Analyses of individual fluxes indicate that soil and aquatic C losses offset C sequestering in other landscape components (e.g., peatlands and aboveground forest biomass). Our results stress the importance of fully integrated catchment C balance estimates and highlight the importance of upland soils and their interaction with the aquatic network for the catchment C balance.