Restoring peatlands will reduce the impact of climate change

“Peatlands are wetland ecosystems that store carbon over time. On

over the past millennia theycontributed to the cooling of the climate by reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, explains Dr. Helbig, associate professor in Dalhousie's Department of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences and lead author of the study. “Although the influence on global concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has been extensively studied, their influence on regional climate through the exchange of energy between peatlands and the atmosphere is not well understood.”

Peatlands are moist mossy bogs, oftencharacterized by the absence of trees - known as one of the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. It's about their ability to store carbon, conserve biodiversity and reduce flood risk.

"These characteristics distinguish them from boreal forests and lead to clear differences in the exchange of energy with the atmosphere," said Dr. Helbig.

In some regions, peatlands were drained anddegraded over the centuries and continue to be used for industrial activities. New research demonstrates that these ecosystems play an important role in mitigating heat stress across vast regions of the boreal zone. This refers to the zone north of the temperate zone and south of the treeless tundra zone. Conservation and restoration of boreal peatlands can minimize the impact of climate change in these regions.

Dr. Helbig and his team usedlong-term observations of the exchange of energy between the earth and the atmosphere in North America, Europe and Russia. They aimed to demonstrate that pristine peatlands can significantly reduce summer air temperatures and increase air humidity. Especially in comparison with evergreen forests, the dominant forest type in the boreal zone.

These studies show that borealPeatlands transport much more water vapor into the atmosphere than boreal evergreen forests. At the same time, forests transfer much more tangible heat into the atmosphere, warming the air. Natural differences between individual observation sites required large numbers of observations to identify consistent differences in energy exchange between these types of ecosystems. The study emphasizes that regional climate impacts of peatlands should be taken into account when quantifying their “ecosystem services.” Of course, in addition to their global impact on the climate.

Scientists also emphasize that the globalEarth systems used for climate predictions should include peatlands as an important ecosystem type in the north. In addition, it is important to take into account the impact of peatlands on regional climate mitigation when assessing the value of peatlands to society.

“Our discovery not only emphasizes that protectionand peatland restoration could reduce the rate of warming in regions with large peatland cover. In general, a decrease in the rate of warming can have important positive consequences for human well-being, ecosystem health and wildlife, ”concludes Dr. Helbig.

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