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Weakening greenhouse gas sink of pristine wetlands under warming

Author

Listed:
  • Tao Bao

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Gensuo Jia

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Xiyan Xu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

Pristine wetlands have high potential for mitigating climate change because of their large carbon stocks. However, whether and where wetlands will act as a greenhouse gas sink or source under warming is uncertain. Here we report the observations from 167 sites of the responses of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions to experimental warming in northern wetlands between latitudes 30° N and 80° N during the period 1990–2022. We show that the 100-year global warming potential of wetlands increased by 57% in response to an average temperature increase of 1.5–2.0 °C. The difference in dominant plant functional types explains the uncertainties in emissions. Although warming increased the CO2 sink in vascular plant sites, it enhanced the CO2 source in cryptogam-dominated sites. As a net source of CH4 and N2O, the permafrost wetlands dominated by vascular plants positively responded to warming. Our results show that warming undermines the mitigation potential of pristine wetlands even for a limited temperature increase of 1.5–2.0 °C, the main goal of the Paris Agreement.

Suggested Citation

  • Tao Bao & Gensuo Jia & Xiyan Xu, 2023. "Weakening greenhouse gas sink of pristine wetlands under warming," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 13(5), pages 462-469, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:13:y:2023:i:5:d:10.1038_s41558-023-01637-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-023-01637-0
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    Cited by:

    1. Luyao Huang & Shuqi Qin & Dan Kou & Philippe Ciais & Xiaofeng Xu & Josep Peñuelas & Yi Xi & Guibiao Yang & Yutong Song & Shiting Yao & Jinfeng Chang & Yuanhe Yang, 2025. "Spatiotemporal patterns of methane fluxes across alpine permafrost region on the Tibetan Plateau," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Jiayi Xie & Ye Yuan & Xiaoqing Wang & Rui Zhang & Rui Zhong & Jiahao Zhai & Yumeng Lu & Jiawei Tao & Lijie Pu & Sihua Huang, 2025. "Impact of Coastal Beach Reclamation on Seasonal Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Study of Diversified Saline–Alkaline Land Use Patterns," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-23, June.
    3. Haotian Zhang & Jianheng Wang & Yichen Zhang & Hongyu Qian & Zhiyi Xie & Yufu Hu & Yongjie Huang & Chuan Zhao & Wanli Cheng & Xiaoxuan Feng & Haoran Qi & Siqi Du, 2023. "Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics and Influencing Factors in the Zoige Alpine Wetland from the 1980s to 2020 Based on a Random Forest Model," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-20, October.
    4. Hao Wu & Caihua Yang & Anze Liang & Yifeng Qin & Dobri Dunchev & Boryana Ivanova & Shengquan Che, 2024. "Urbanization and Carbon Storage Dynamics: Spatiotemporal Patterns and Socioeconomic Drivers in Shanghai," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-19, December.
    5. Dandan Zhao & Weijia Hu & Jianmiao Wang & Haitao Wu & Jiping Liu, 2025. "Identifying Drivers of Wetland Damage and Their Impact on Primary Productivity Dynamics in a Mid-High Latitude Region of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, August.

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