Climate, Energy and Carbon in Ancient Earth Systems
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Earth Sciences
Abstract
CERES will integrate analytical innovation, biogeochemistry in modern contexts, and geological archives to holistically evaluate how
climate change affects peatland carbon cycling across multiple timescales. Greenhouse gases shaped Earth history, impacting both
climate and ecosystems; ongoing anthropogenic emissions are doing the same. These include impacts on the microbially mediated
processes that govern the chemical state of our planet and act as climate feedbacks. Soil microorganisms, for example, account for
the largest natural methane flux, and yet these processes remain poorly understood, mediated by multiple environmental factors.
Insight can be derived from geological archives that document the timescale-dependent responses of biogeochemical systems to
environmental perturbations. Such studies on peat and lignites provide tantalising insights into climate-driven disruption of the
carbon cycle, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. This critical knowledge gap arises from our inability to determine
the isotopic signatures of the most diagnostic biomarkers. Therefore, we will:
1) Develop new instrumentation for the isotopic determination of large bacterial and archaeal biomolecules. This is a transformative
expansion of our biomarker toolkit as our analytical window expands from low to highly diagnostic compounds.
2) Apply these new methods to modern peatlands, examining biomarker isotopic compositions in the field as well as in experiments
in response to manipulation of pH, temperature and substrate.
3) Apply our new biomarker methods and understanding to the geological past. Working across decadal to multi-million year
timescales, we will unlock the mechanistic controls underlying ancient reorganisations of wetland carbon cycling.
Through these WPs, CERES will probe how microbial metabolism, and hence biogeochemical cycles, operate(d) on the Earth today,
through its history, and in response to rapid global warming.
climate change affects peatland carbon cycling across multiple timescales. Greenhouse gases shaped Earth history, impacting both
climate and ecosystems; ongoing anthropogenic emissions are doing the same. These include impacts on the microbially mediated
processes that govern the chemical state of our planet and act as climate feedbacks. Soil microorganisms, for example, account for
the largest natural methane flux, and yet these processes remain poorly understood, mediated by multiple environmental factors.
Insight can be derived from geological archives that document the timescale-dependent responses of biogeochemical systems to
environmental perturbations. Such studies on peat and lignites provide tantalising insights into climate-driven disruption of the
carbon cycle, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. This critical knowledge gap arises from our inability to determine
the isotopic signatures of the most diagnostic biomarkers. Therefore, we will:
1) Develop new instrumentation for the isotopic determination of large bacterial and archaeal biomolecules. This is a transformative
expansion of our biomarker toolkit as our analytical window expands from low to highly diagnostic compounds.
2) Apply these new methods to modern peatlands, examining biomarker isotopic compositions in the field as well as in experiments
in response to manipulation of pH, temperature and substrate.
3) Apply our new biomarker methods and understanding to the geological past. Working across decadal to multi-million year
timescales, we will unlock the mechanistic controls underlying ancient reorganisations of wetland carbon cycling.
Through these WPs, CERES will probe how microbial metabolism, and hence biogeochemical cycles, operate(d) on the Earth today,
through its history, and in response to rapid global warming.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Richard Pancost (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Pancost R
(2024)
Biomarker carbon and hydrogen isotopes reveal changing peatland vegetation, hydroclimate and biogeochemical tipping points
in Quaternary Science Reviews
Pancost, R.D.
(2023)
Organic matter-microbial interactions in tropical peatland
Zhang Y
(2024)
The stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic composition of microbial fatty acids traces microbial metabolism in soils and peats
in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
| Description | We have discovered a new relationship between the pH of peat bogs and certain compound classes produced by microorganisms. We attribute this to higher methane production and emission from higher pH peatlands. Peat microbiology is highly diverse in shallow peat environments, due to a range of factors including nutrient status and pH; however, it converges at depth to a less diverse, archaea-rich microbial community that is presumably well-adapted to the anaerobic degradation of organic matter. We have discovered that the composition of peat (and likely its reactivity under changing conditions) is controlled by temperature, burial depth and vegetation type. In particular, woody peatlands are rich in relatively recalcitrant lignin, allowing peat to accumulate even under very high temperatures. |
| Exploitation Route | This could be used to identify changes in methane fluxes in ancient peatlands, allowing us to assess the sensitivity of carbon fluxes to climate change. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment |
| Description | This work appears to reveal that plant vegetation, through its chemical composition, impacts microbiology and by extension carbon cycling. We have begun a dialogue with our international project partners in Uganda and Colombia about whether this has implications for how different peatland type will respond to anthropogenic disturbance. We anticipate that this will evolve significantly over the course of the project, reflected in growing collaboration with both UK and global partners involved in peatland protection and restoration. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Environment |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |