Arctic

Arctic peatlands and lakes contain enormous long-term carbon reservoirs accumulated over thousands of years under cold conditions. Rapid warming and permafrost thaw now threaten to release this stored carbon through carbon dioxide and methane emissions, potentially shifting the region from a cooling to a warming influence on climate.

RECCAP2-CS integrates field observations, satellite data, and machine learning to produce high-resolution peatland and wetland maps, assess fire impacts, and quantify methane emissions from peatlands and lakes. Observation-driven models are used to reconstruct greenhouse gas fluxes over recent decades and explore future trajectories of Arctic carbon feedbacks.