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Assessing historical biomass- and fossil fuel–derived pyrogenic carbon inputs to peatland carbon stocks in the Changbai Mountains (China)

  • Sediments, Sec 2 • Physical and Biogeochemical Processes • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

The increase in human activities and climate change has caused more pyrogenic carbon (PyC), which is produced by fossil fuels or incomplete biomass consumption, to accumulate in natural ecosystems in the past hundred years and has caused serious effects on soil carbon pools. Although the peatland soil carbon pool represents 25–30% of the terrestrial soil carbon pool, the long-term effects of PyC on this pool are still unknown.

Material and method

We identified the historical accumulation rates of PyC from fossil fuel and biomass sources through δ13C-PyC values in four typical peat cores in the Changbai Mountains (China) and evaluated the effects of PyC accumulation on peatland carbon pools.

Results and discussion

The average δ13C-PyC values in the four peat cores of Changbai Mountains ranged from − 29.73 ± 0.66 to − 29.15 ± 1.46‰, and higher δ13C-PyC values in high-altitude peatlands than those in the low-altitude region indicated a higher proportion of fossil fuel-derived PyC deposited in high-altitude peatlands. Compared to local pollution history, fossil fuel-derived PyC in the high-altitude region was mainly produced from local industrial sources, and in the low-altitude region, it was mainly produced from several different anthropogenic sources (e.g., wars and transportation). Biomass-derived PyC in Changbai Mountains was caused by local fires, which were mainly influenced by climatic conditions and local government policies.

Conclusion

The effects of these two sources of PyC on the carbon content and carbon accumulation rates were overall positive. Because local fires directly affect the peatland carbon pool, the impact of biomass-derived PyC on the peatland carbon pool is more complex than that of fossil fuel-derived PyC.

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Data availability

The data are available upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Analysis and Test Center the of Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Funding

Financial support was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 42171103 and 42101108), the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (No. 2020235), the Jilin Association for Science and Technology (QT202126), the Young Scientist Group Project of the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2022QNXZ01), the Professional Association of the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO-PA-2020–14), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M681059).

National Natural Science Foundation of China, 42171103, Chuanyu Gao, 42101108, Jinxin Cong, Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2020235, Chuanyu Gao, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2022QNXZ01, Chuanyu Gao, Professional Association of the Alliance of International Science Organizations, ANSO-PA-2020–14, Chuanyu Gao, Postdoctoral Research Foundation of China, 2020M681059, Dongxue Han

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengbei Street 4888, 130102, Changchun, China

    Chuanyu Gao, Jinxin Cong, Dongxue Han & Guoping Wang

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  1. Chuanyu Gao
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Correspondence to Guoping Wang.

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Gao, C., Cong, J., Han, D. et al. Assessing historical biomass- and fossil fuel–derived pyrogenic carbon inputs to peatland carbon stocks in the Changbai Mountains (China). J Soils Sediments 23, 1051–1064 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-023-03425-x

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