Organic carbon storage and accumulation characteristics of peatlands in the Changbai Mountains, China

Abstract

AbstractPeatlands are important carbon pools and stable carbon sinks in terrestrial ecosystems. Studying carbon storage and accumulation characteristics can provide a scientific basis for the conservation and restoration of peatlands. Based on the 2014–2015 survey of the Jilin Provincial Forestry Department on the carbon storage of peatlands in the Changbai Mountains, the surveyed 865 peatlands have a total area of 22,900 hm2 and carbon storage of 18,753,300 tons. There are 275 medium‐sized organic carbon (OC) stocks of peatlands (10000–100,000 tons) in this area, and their carbon storage accounts for 41.3% of the total reserves. The peatland carbon in this area is mainly distributed in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, valleys and the lava platform are the most important geomorphological basis for peatland deposits. The Mudanjiang River Basin has the largest carbon storage and it is dominated by a nutrient‐rich peatland. Peatlands in the Changbai Mountains formed and developed since the Holocene, and the carbon accumulation intensity is different in each stage. The average carbon density of peatlands in this area was 69.74 kg/m3 with an average value of 81.77 kg/m2 for OC accumulation per unit area. The average value of the carbon cumulative intensity of peatlands was 164.43 ton/km2 and the carbon accumulation rate of peatlands was 38.96 g/(a m2).