The litter accumulated in the soil, which meant that the soil was also a carbon sink for decades. But litter is not a permanent carbon storage. The more litter accumulates in the soil, the more carbon it releases into the atmosphere when it decomposes. 3/9 - ThreadSky

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ilkkaleinonen.bsky.social • 17 days ago

The litter accumulated in the soil, which meant that the soil was also a carbon sink for decades.

But litter is not a permanent carbon storage. The more litter accumulates in the soil, the more carbon it releases into the atmosphere when it decomposes.
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ilkkaleinonen.bsky.social•17 days ago

And eventually, the rate of decomposition was higher than the rate of formation of new litter. The soil became a source of emissions.
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ilkkaleinonen.bsky.social•17 days ago

Reason 2: At the same time as the decomposition of litter accelerated, litter input into the soil also decreased. The crown of aging trees is smaller in relation to the trunk volume, so less litter is produced now.
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ilkkaleinonen.bsky.social•17 days ago

So, aging reduces the sink in two ways: through slower growth of living biomass and through reduced litter production. Therefore, the carbon input to the forest carbon storage is now continuously decreasing as trees are not getting any younger.
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ilkkaleinonen.bsky.social•17 days ago

Reason 3: Perhaps the most important reason for the increase in emissions, however, is the acceleration of decomposition activity due to rising temperatures. This is especially the case in the soils of drained peatlands, where there are huge amounts of dead organic matter ready to decompose.
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ilkkaleinonen.bsky.social•17 days ago

So, there are three permanent trends behind the increased emissions, the direction of which cannot be changed. Therefore, emissions from forests are likely to continue to increase.
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ilkkaleinonen.bsky.social•17 days ago

This is a good practical example of the fact that biological carbon stocks are only temporary, and therefore their inclusion in the national net zero targets cannot be scientifically justified.
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