Widespread drying of European peatlands in recent centuries

Abstract

Climate warming and human impacts are thought to be causing peatlands to become drier, potentially turning them from sinks to sources of carbon (C). However, it is unclear whether the hydrological status of peatlands has moved beyond their natural envelope. We use hydrological reconstructions to examine changes in wetness in European peatlands during the last 2000 years. Here we show that the majority of European peatlands have undergone substantial drying during the last ~300 years. We find that 60% of sites are drier in the period CE 1800-2000 than they have been for the last 600 years; 40% of sites are drier than they have been for 1000 years; and 24% of sites are drier than they have been for 2000 years. This marked recent transition in peatland hydrology is concurrent with compound pressures including climatic drying, warming and direct human impacts on peatlands, although these factors vary among regions and individual sites. Our results show that the hydrological status of many European peatlands is now substantially different from their natural baselines, and highlight the need for effective management and restoration.

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