The importance of wetland carbon dynamics to society: Insight from the second state of the carbon cycle science report

Abstract

The Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2) culminated in 19 chapters that spanned all North American sectors - from Energy Systems to Agriculture and Land Use - known to be important for understanding carbon (C) cycling and accounting. Wetlands, both inland and coastal, were found to be significant components of C fluxes along the terrestrial to aquatic hydrologic continuum. In this chapter, we synthesize the role of wetlands in the overall C footprint of North America (from Canada to Mexico) as one metric of the societal values placed on these terrestrial-aquatic interfaces. We also summarize the effects of management activities and climate change on the wetland C cycle and give some perspectives on the current and future importance of wetlands to society.