Revealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soils
Abstract Inland wetlands are critical carbon reservoirs storing 30% of global soil organic carbon (SOC) within 6% of the land surface. However, forested regions contain SOC-rich wetlands that are not included in current maps, which we refer to as ‘cryptic carbon’. Here, to demonstrate the magnitude...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44888-x |
| _version_ | 1797276383607521280 |
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| author | Anthony J. Stewart Meghan Halabisky Chad Babcock David E. Butman David V. D’Amore L. Monika Moskal |
| author_facet | Anthony J. Stewart Meghan Halabisky Chad Babcock David E. Butman David V. D’Amore L. Monika Moskal |
| author_sort | Anthony J. Stewart |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Inland wetlands are critical carbon reservoirs storing 30% of global soil organic carbon (SOC) within 6% of the land surface. However, forested regions contain SOC-rich wetlands that are not included in current maps, which we refer to as ‘cryptic carbon’. Here, to demonstrate the magnitude and distribution of cryptic carbon, we measure and map SOC stocks as a function of a continuous, upland-to-wetland gradient across the Hoh River Watershed (HRW) in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., comprising 68,145 ha. Total catchment SOC at 30 cm depth (5.0 TgC) is between estimates from global SOC maps (GSOC: 3.9 TgC; SoilGrids: 7.8 TgC). For wetland SOC, our 1 m stock estimates are substantially higher (Mean: 259 MgC ha−1; Total: 1.7 TgC) compared to current wetland-specific SOC maps derived from a combination of U.S. national datasets (Mean: 184 MgC ha−1; Total: 0.3 TgC). We show that total unmapped or cryptic carbon is 1.5 TgC and when added to current estimates, increases the estimated wetland SOC stock to 1.8 TgC or by 482%, which highlights the vast stores of SOC that are not mapped and contained in unprotected and vulnerable wetlands. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:27:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-21e7735b585f47cca8d9b20f71c40911 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:27:30Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-21e7735b585f47cca8d9b20f71c409112024-03-05T16:36:04ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-01-0115111310.1038/s41467-024-44888-xRevealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soilsAnthony J. Stewart0Meghan Halabisky1Chad Babcock2David E. Butman3David V. D’Amore4L. Monika Moskal5School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, SeattleSchool of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, SeattleDepartment of Forest Resources, University of MinnesotaSchool of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, SeattlePacific Northwest Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest ServiceSchool of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, SeattleAbstract Inland wetlands are critical carbon reservoirs storing 30% of global soil organic carbon (SOC) within 6% of the land surface. However, forested regions contain SOC-rich wetlands that are not included in current maps, which we refer to as ‘cryptic carbon’. Here, to demonstrate the magnitude and distribution of cryptic carbon, we measure and map SOC stocks as a function of a continuous, upland-to-wetland gradient across the Hoh River Watershed (HRW) in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., comprising 68,145 ha. Total catchment SOC at 30 cm depth (5.0 TgC) is between estimates from global SOC maps (GSOC: 3.9 TgC; SoilGrids: 7.8 TgC). For wetland SOC, our 1 m stock estimates are substantially higher (Mean: 259 MgC ha−1; Total: 1.7 TgC) compared to current wetland-specific SOC maps derived from a combination of U.S. national datasets (Mean: 184 MgC ha−1; Total: 0.3 TgC). We show that total unmapped or cryptic carbon is 1.5 TgC and when added to current estimates, increases the estimated wetland SOC stock to 1.8 TgC or by 482%, which highlights the vast stores of SOC that are not mapped and contained in unprotected and vulnerable wetlands.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44888-x |
| spellingShingle | Anthony J. Stewart Meghan Halabisky Chad Babcock David E. Butman David V. D’Amore L. Monika Moskal Revealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soils Nature Communications |
| title | Revealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soils |
| title_full | Revealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soils |
| title_fullStr | Revealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soils |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soils |
| title_short | Revealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soils |
| title_sort | revealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soils |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44888-x |
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