I presented my #AGU24 talk this morning and wanted to summarize my take homes. 20 yrs ago I created the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) to experimentally push hydrology into wetter and drier modes. CO2 emissions are remarkable stable while CH4 is very high with flooding. 1/ - ThreadSky

queenofpeat.bsky.social • 169 days ago

I presented my #AGU24 talk this morning and wanted to summarize my take homes. 20 yrs ago I created the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) to experimentally push hydrology into wetter and drier modes. CO2 emissions are remarkable stable while CH4 is very high with flooding. 1/

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joearvai.org•168 days ago

Thanks for all you do, Merritt!

bluedar4.bsky.social•169 days ago

I read that Kotzebue suffered an irregular storm surge and flooding due to delayed formation of the coastal ice barrier (mitigates like a wetland?). Is that intrusion going to instigate methane seeps?

bluedar4.bsky.social•169 days ago

Will that cause attendant problems for the community (besides smell)?

queenofpeat.bsky.social•169 days ago

Why is CO2 stable? We think it is because of energy channel switching between detrital (drier conditions) and algal (wetter) food webs. There is an entire tiny food web in our peatland based on algae and it drives CO2 fluxes. 2/

sacto43.bsky.social•169 days ago

Fascinating!

queenofpeat.bsky.social•169 days ago

Our site is no longer taking up carbon but is a strong net source to the atmosphere. This state shift is driven by major increases in methane. We can attribute this to more frequent flooding interacting with changing vegetation like sedges. @agu.org 3/

queenofpeat.bsky.social•169 days ago

Two decades ago we needed to use experiments to push the boundaries of peatland hydrology. Now that extreme variation is playing out across northern landscapes. As uplands undergo warming and thaw, peatlands are flooding. 4/

queenofpeat.bsky.social•169 days ago

I also talked about a new study on zombie fires. We found that smoldering can overwinter in tree boles or thick peat. It leads to greater fire severity with more combustion. @agu.org 5/

rickh07.bsky.social•169 days ago

Interesting!
Thanks for sharing.
Do you think global climate models adequately depict CO2 emissions in future years?
Rick H

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