Summary
This study demonstrates that pyrogenic carbon—carbon produced from incomplete combustion of organic matter—constitutes a substantial and previously unquantified component of carbon storage in northern peatlands, averaging 13·5% of soil carbon but reaching up to 50% at individual sites. The research found that degraded peatlands, despite having lost approximately 56 kg C m⁻² of total carbon stock, retained proportionally higher concentrations of pyrogenic carbon, suggesting selective enrichment during both peat accumulation and decomposition. Extrapolation of findings to northern hemisphere peatlands stratified by age yielded an estimated pyrogenic carbon stock of 62 (±22) Pg, highlighting a substantial contribution to global pyrogenic carbon cycling that has not been previously quantified.
UK applicability
United Kingdom peatlands, particularly in upland areas of Scotland, Wales, and northern England, would fall within the northern hemisphere peatland systems studied; these findings are directly applicable to understanding UK peatland carbon dynamics and the role of pyrogenic carbon in UK peatland carbon stocks. The results may inform UK peatland restoration and carbon accounting practices, particularly regarding the stability of carbon pools in degraded versus intact systems.
Key measures
Pyrogenic carbon content (% of total soil carbon); peat age (radiocarbon dating); long-term carbon accumulation rates; PyC stock estimates (Pg); carbon loss in degraded peatlands (kg C m⁻²)
Outcomes reported
The study quantified pyrogenic carbon (PyC) content across 70 samples from 19 European peatland sites using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and radiocarbon dating, measuring PyC as a proportion of total soil carbon and estimating total PyC stocks in northern hemisphere peatlands.
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