Climate Warming and Deglaciation Drive New Peat Formation in the Southern Alps, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Abstract Nascent peatlands represent an emerging, nature‐based carbon sink in the global climate system. A warming climate and changing precipitation regime could drive peat initiation beyond the current latitudinal and altitudinal boundaries of the peatland bioclimatic envelope, through increases i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113786 |
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| author | R. E. Fewster G. T. Swindles J. L. Carrivick M. Gałka T. P. Roland M. McKeown J. L. Sutherland F. Tweed D. Mullan C. Graham A. Gallego‐Sala P. J. Morris |
| author_facet | R. E. Fewster G. T. Swindles J. L. Carrivick M. Gałka T. P. Roland M. McKeown J. L. Sutherland F. Tweed D. Mullan C. Graham A. Gallego‐Sala P. J. Morris |
| author_sort | R. E. Fewster |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Nascent peatlands represent an emerging, nature‐based carbon sink in the global climate system. A warming climate and changing precipitation regime could drive peat initiation beyond the current latitudinal and altitudinal boundaries of the peatland bioclimatic envelope, through increases in plant productivity and moisture availability, with potential implications for global radiative forcing. However, contemporaneous observations of new peat formation remain scarce. We investigate peat initiation within the deglaciating Rob Roy valley in the Southern Alps, Aotearoa/New Zealand. We find that montane peats have developed across the head of the valley since ∼1949 C.E., coinciding with regional climate warming and glacial retreat. Further, we identify a common ecological succession, characterized by a rise in brown mosses (mainly Bryum) beginning around ∼1963 C.E. Our findings indicate the potential for wider peat expansion in increasingly warm and wet montane landscapes. However, further bioclimatic modeling is required to elucidate where future peatland developments may occur. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c1acd525362f49449e03474dc09c4cc8 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-c1acd525362f49449e03474dc09c4cc82025-08-20T02:31:09ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-02-01524n/an/a10.1029/2024GL113786Climate Warming and Deglaciation Drive New Peat Formation in the Southern Alps, Aotearoa/New ZealandR. E. Fewster0G. T. Swindles1J. L. Carrivick2M. Gałka3T. P. Roland4M. McKeown5J. L. Sutherland6F. Tweed7D. Mullan8C. Graham9A. Gallego‐Sala10P. J. Morris11Geography and 14Chrono School of Natural and Built Environment Queen's University Belfast Belfast UKGeography and 14Chrono School of Natural and Built Environment Queen's University Belfast Belfast UKSchool of Geography and water@Leeds University of Leeds Leeds UKDepartment of Biogeography Paleoecology and Nature Conservation Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection University of Lodz Łodz PolandGeography Faculty of Environment Science and Economy University of Exeter Exeter UKDepartment of Geography University College Cork Cork IrelandSchool of Built Environment Engineering and Computing Leeds Beckett University Leeds UKUniversity of Staffordshire Stoke‐on‐Trent UKGeography and 14Chrono School of Natural and Built Environment Queen's University Belfast Belfast UKGeography and 14Chrono School of Natural and Built Environment Queen's University Belfast Belfast UKGeography Faculty of Environment Science and Economy University of Exeter Exeter UKSchool of Geography and water@Leeds University of Leeds Leeds UKAbstract Nascent peatlands represent an emerging, nature‐based carbon sink in the global climate system. A warming climate and changing precipitation regime could drive peat initiation beyond the current latitudinal and altitudinal boundaries of the peatland bioclimatic envelope, through increases in plant productivity and moisture availability, with potential implications for global radiative forcing. However, contemporaneous observations of new peat formation remain scarce. We investigate peat initiation within the deglaciating Rob Roy valley in the Southern Alps, Aotearoa/New Zealand. We find that montane peats have developed across the head of the valley since ∼1949 C.E., coinciding with regional climate warming and glacial retreat. Further, we identify a common ecological succession, characterized by a rise in brown mosses (mainly Bryum) beginning around ∼1963 C.E. Our findings indicate the potential for wider peat expansion in increasingly warm and wet montane landscapes. However, further bioclimatic modeling is required to elucidate where future peatland developments may occur.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113786peatlandsbioclimate envelopepalaeoecologyAotearoa/New Zealanddeglaciationclimate change |
| spellingShingle | R. E. Fewster G. T. Swindles J. L. Carrivick M. Gałka T. P. Roland M. McKeown J. L. Sutherland F. Tweed D. Mullan C. Graham A. Gallego‐Sala P. J. Morris Climate Warming and Deglaciation Drive New Peat Formation in the Southern Alps, Aotearoa/New Zealand Geophysical Research Letters peatlands bioclimate envelope palaeoecology Aotearoa/New Zealand deglaciation climate change |
| title | Climate Warming and Deglaciation Drive New Peat Formation in the Southern Alps, Aotearoa/New Zealand |
| title_full | Climate Warming and Deglaciation Drive New Peat Formation in the Southern Alps, Aotearoa/New Zealand |
| title_fullStr | Climate Warming and Deglaciation Drive New Peat Formation in the Southern Alps, Aotearoa/New Zealand |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate Warming and Deglaciation Drive New Peat Formation in the Southern Alps, Aotearoa/New Zealand |
| title_short | Climate Warming and Deglaciation Drive New Peat Formation in the Southern Alps, Aotearoa/New Zealand |
| title_sort | climate warming and deglaciation drive new peat formation in the southern alps aotearoa new zealand |
| topic | peatlands bioclimate envelope palaeoecology Aotearoa/New Zealand deglaciation climate change |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113786 |
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