Abstract
Dissolved organic matter in the oceans represents one of the biosphere's principal stores of organic carbon. A large proportion of this matter is drained from the continents — particularly from northern peatlands, which contain 20% of the global soil carbon1. Freeman et al.2 have suggested that rising temperatures may enhance this transport of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from peatlands to the oceans. We argue here that warming can affect DOC export in different ways, depending on whether it is accompanied by increased or decreased precipitation. An alteration in the rate of relocation of organic carbon from the continents to the oceans cannot therefore be predicted on the basis of temperature change alone.
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Tranvik, L., Jansson, M. Terrestrial export of organic carbon. Nature 415, 861–862 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/415861b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/415861b
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