.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
Return
Disproportionate Belowground Carbon Loss and Ecotone Sensitivity in Boreal Peatland Wildland Fires: Insights From LiDAR and Field Data
.png){kind=icon}
OA
AI
K
D
C
R
L
DOI：10.1029/2025GB008982.png)
.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
Share.png){kind=icon}
Save
Abstract
En 中文
Peatlands play a critical role in the global carbon (C)-climate cycle, acting as vast long-term stores of disproportionately large quantities of C relative to their land area. In recent decades, climate-driven shifts in fire regimes and peatland hydrophysical properties have occurred across Canada's boreal regions, increasing concerns about the vulnerability of peatland C to combustion losses. Understanding the magnitude and vulnerability of C lost during wildland fires in peatlands is therefore essential but remains highly uncertain. This study was conducted in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of Alberta's Boreal Plains. C losses from peatlands during the 2016 Horse River Wildfire were estimated based on field-collected soil C data and pre- and post-fire airborne LiDAR data. C Losses were quantified across peatland types and ecotones and separated into above- and below-ground combustion. Soil C losses were nearly an order of magnitude greater than vegetation C losses (2.11 ± 5.09 kg C m−2 vs. 0.38 ± 0.32 kg C m−2, respectively). Bog ecotones were zones of significant soil C loss, with average losses of 16.5 kg C m−2. LiDAR-derived burned area and C losses were compared with the spectral burn severity index, dNBR. A binary burned/unburned classification showed strong agreement in bogs (88%) but poor agreement in swamps (48%). Vegetation C loss correlated moderately well with dNBR strength, whereas the relationship between soil C loss and dNBR was very weak. Comparisons between LiDAR-derived soil C losses with estimates of C loss based on the fire disturbance module of the national C loss model, the Canadian Model for Peatlands (CaMP), indicated that C losses from bogs were greater than expected, particularly when ecotones were included, while fens and swamp C losses were on the low end of model expectations.
Keywords:
wildland fire
peatlands
boreal
LiDAR
carbon
combustion
AI Summary
Key information extracted from the uploaded paper, including a brief overview, abstract, background, key highlights, visual analysis, and future outlook.
Journal
IF:
5.5
Papers:
3.2K
Citations:
1.7W
Organization
Cited Papers