Wildfires mediate carbon transfer from land to lakes across boreal and temperate regions
Abstract Wildfires can disrupt carbon transport from land to water, but how lake carbon cycling responds to fires remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the concentration and dominance of the main carbon forms in total carbon pools in 54 lakes (34 burned, 20 control) across 3 regions of Quebec, Canada a...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02070-1 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823861537885913088 |
|---|---|
| author | Mathilde Bélair Ian M. McCullough Christopher T. Filstrup Jennifer A. Brentrup Jean-François Lapierre |
| author_facet | Mathilde Bélair Ian M. McCullough Christopher T. Filstrup Jennifer A. Brentrup Jean-François Lapierre |
| author_sort | Mathilde Bélair |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Wildfires can disrupt carbon transport from land to water, but how lake carbon cycling responds to fires remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the concentration and dominance of the main carbon forms in total carbon pools in 54 lakes (34 burned, 20 control) across 3 regions of Quebec, Canada and Minnesota, USA from recent wildfires ( < 1 – 3 years). Lakes in burned watersheds had up to double the dissolved organic carbon concentrations of control lakes, and the fire effect was most apparent when accounting for climate and landscape drivers (e.g., catchment to lake area ratio) of lake carbon cycling. The greater quantity and dominance of dissolved organic carbon in burned lakes over other carbon forms with different turnover rates and fates suggest a potential fire-mediated carbon export up to several years post fire with a yet undetermined fate in northern forested watersheds and with important implications for regional to global carbon budgets. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2db54f22b2154eb4b3b9da507815ffa7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-2db54f22b2154eb4b3b9da507815ffa72025-02-09T12:55:59ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-02-016111110.1038/s43247-025-02070-1Wildfires mediate carbon transfer from land to lakes across boreal and temperate regionsMathilde Bélair0Ian M. McCullough1Christopher T. Filstrup2Jennifer A. Brentrup3Jean-François Lapierre4Département de sciences biologiques, Université de MontréalDepartment of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State UniversityNatural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota DuluthMinnesota Pollution Control AgencyDépartement de sciences biologiques, Université de MontréalAbstract Wildfires can disrupt carbon transport from land to water, but how lake carbon cycling responds to fires remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the concentration and dominance of the main carbon forms in total carbon pools in 54 lakes (34 burned, 20 control) across 3 regions of Quebec, Canada and Minnesota, USA from recent wildfires ( < 1 – 3 years). Lakes in burned watersheds had up to double the dissolved organic carbon concentrations of control lakes, and the fire effect was most apparent when accounting for climate and landscape drivers (e.g., catchment to lake area ratio) of lake carbon cycling. The greater quantity and dominance of dissolved organic carbon in burned lakes over other carbon forms with different turnover rates and fates suggest a potential fire-mediated carbon export up to several years post fire with a yet undetermined fate in northern forested watersheds and with important implications for regional to global carbon budgets.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02070-1 |
| spellingShingle | Mathilde Bélair Ian M. McCullough Christopher T. Filstrup Jennifer A. Brentrup Jean-François Lapierre Wildfires mediate carbon transfer from land to lakes across boreal and temperate regions Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Wildfires mediate carbon transfer from land to lakes across boreal and temperate regions |
| title_full | Wildfires mediate carbon transfer from land to lakes across boreal and temperate regions |
| title_fullStr | Wildfires mediate carbon transfer from land to lakes across boreal and temperate regions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wildfires mediate carbon transfer from land to lakes across boreal and temperate regions |
| title_short | Wildfires mediate carbon transfer from land to lakes across boreal and temperate regions |
| title_sort | wildfires mediate carbon transfer from land to lakes across boreal and temperate regions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02070-1 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mathildebelair wildfiresmediatecarbontransferfromlandtolakesacrossborealandtemperateregions AT ianmmccullough wildfiresmediatecarbontransferfromlandtolakesacrossborealandtemperateregions AT christophertfilstrup wildfiresmediatecarbontransferfromlandtolakesacrossborealandtemperateregions AT jenniferabrentrup wildfiresmediatecarbontransferfromlandtolakesacrossborealandtemperateregions AT jeanfrancoislapierre wildfiresmediatecarbontransferfromlandtolakesacrossborealandtemperateregions |