What Lies Beneath? Peat Expansion in the Arctic Tundra (TundraPEAT)

Will the warming Arctic transform into a peat- and carbon-rich landscape, as the boreal zone is now, or are there essential conditions lacking in a warming Arctic that will prevent this?

The overall goal of TundraPEAT is to understand organic soil (peat) accumulation processes in the tundra biome, and to assess the role of peat in regional and pan-Arctic carbon budgets at decadal and centennial timescales. We aim to develop a predictive understanding of how, when, and why peatlands may develop in the Arctic and changes in the C balance. Our multidisciplinary research project integrates: (1) A synthesis of existing data from the tundra and boreal biomes; (2) Collection of new data from multiple tundra sites along the northernmost peat- forming frontiers of the North American Arctic; (3) Soil incubation experiments; (4) Ecosystem-scale process model simulations. The results may be of importance to northerners who seek to understand why and how ecosystems are changing, and adapt to future conditions e.g., permafrost thaw and fire, as well as to manage, conserve and protect future carbon-rich ecosystems as they become increasingly recognized on national and international scales.

Here, we present the latest updates and ongoing work from our team.