Deep peat warming increases surface methane and carbon dioxide emissions in a black spruce-dominated ombrotrophic bog.

Boreal peatlands contain approximately 500 Pg carbon (C) in the soil, emit globally significant quantities of methane (CH ), and are highly sensitive to climate change. Warming associated with global climate change is likely to increase the rate of the temperature-sensitive processes that decompose stored organic carbon and release carbon dioxide (CO ) and CH . Variation in the temperature sensitivity of CO and CH production and increased peat aerobicity due to enhanced growing-season evapotranspiration may alter the nature of peatland trace gas emission.