The Relevance of the "Peatland Enzymic Latch" to Water, Food, Energy, & Innovation for a Sustainable World.

Terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems contribute almost equally to an estimated sequestration of about 50% of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, and thus already play a role in minimizing our impact on the global climate. Of the C sequestered terrestrially, the majority becomes part of the Earth’s soil carbon stores. Northern peatlands cover just 2-3% of the Earth’s landmass and yet sequester 455Pg of C, or almost 1/3 of that soil carbon. Peatland ecosystems are thus well established as powerful agents of carbon capture and storage, and the preservation of archaeological artifacts, such as ancient bog bodies, further attest to their exceptional preservative properties. Peatlands, have higher carbon storage densities per unit ecosystem area than either the oceans or dry terrestrial systems. Recent studies suggest that peatlands sequester carbon due to the inhibitory effects of phenolic compounds which create an ‘enzymic latch’ on decomposition (Freeman et al 2001, Fenner & Freeman 2011).  Here we propose to harness that mechanism in a series of peatland-engineering strategies (Freeman et al 2012) in which molecular, biogeochemical, agronomical and afforestation approaches, increase carbon capture and long-term sequestration in peat-forming terrestrial ecosystems. The relevance of these strategies to aspects of water, food, energy, & innovation will be discussed in relation to our efforts to move towards a more sustainable world.

 

References

Freeman C, Ostle J, Kang H (2001). An enzymic latch on a global carbon store. Nature. 409, 149.

Fenner N, Freeman C (2011) Drought-induced carbon loss in peatlands. Nature Geoscience   4 : 895-900.

Freeman, C,  Fenner, N, Shirsat  A.H. (2012) Peatland geoengineering: an alternative approach to terrestrial carbon sequestration.  Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (A).  370, 4404-4421.