Cutover peatlands: A persistent source of atmospheric CO 2

Peatlands represent an important component of the global carbon cycle, storing 23 g C m −2 yr −1 . Peatland mining eliminates the carbon sink function of the peatland. In this paper we measure the total ecosystem respiration in a natural, 2 and 3 year (young) and 7 and 8 year (old) postcutover peatland near Sainte‐Marguerite‐Marie, Québec, during the summers of 1998 and 1999. Although the natural site was a source of CO 2 during the dry 1998 study season (138 g C m −2 ), CO 2 emissions were between 260 and 290% higher in the cutover sites (363 and 399 g C m −2 for young and old, respectively). Cutover site CO 2 emissions were only 88 and 112 g CO 2 ‐C m −2 at the young and old sites during the wet 1999 study…

• JA
  Johnson and Johnson
• NS
  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada