Congo Basin Lakes Venting Thousands-Year-Old Carbon, Study Finds

Congo basin blackwater lakes are releasing ancient carbon into the atmosphere

Deep in the Congo Basin, vast peatlands quietly store enormous amounts of Earth’s carbon — but new research suggests this ancient vault may be leaking. Scientists studying Africa’s largest blackwater lakes discovered that significant amounts of carbon dioxide bubbling into the atmosphere come not just from recent plant life, but from peat that has been locked away for thousands of years.

Millennial-aged peat carbon outgassed by large humic lakes in the Congo Basin - Nature Geoscience

Congo Basin lakes Mai Ndombe and Tumba are major CO2 sources. Here we show that their dissolved inorganic carbon is some 2,170–3,515 14C years old and partially (39–40%) originates from the surrounding peatlands. This implies a loss pathway for peat carbon, in which microbes respire old carbon within the peat and the resulting CO2 is transported to the lakes and outgassed, linking these immense ancient stores to the modern carbon cycle. Two majo…

Peatland lakes in the Congo Basin release carbon that is thousands of years old

Researchers at ETH Zurich have now discovered for the first time that large blackwater lakes in the extensive peatlands of the central Congo Basin are releasing ancient carbon.  To date, climate researchers had assumed that carbon was stored safely for millenia in the peat. How the carbon is mobilised from the peat to the lake, where it is finally released to the atmosphere, is still unknown. Climate changes and altered land use, especially…

Peatland lakes in Congo Basin release carbon that is thousands of years old

Researchers at ETH Zurich have now discovered for the first time that large blackwater lakes in the extensive peatlands of the central Congo Basin are releasing ancient carbon. To date, climate researchers had assumed that carbon was stored safely for millenia in the peat. How the carbon is mobilized from the peat to the lake, where it is finally released to the atmosphere, is still unknown. Climate changes and altered land use, especially the c…

Through the lens: the beauty of the Congo Basin and its fragile future

The Congo Basin rainforest is the world’s largest carbon sink, absorbing more carbon dioxide than the Amazon. Often described as Africa’s “green lung”, it helps regulate the global climate, with peatlands that lock away huge amounts of carbon. But the region is under pressure from deforestation, industrial logging and plans for oil and gas drilling – even as the effects of climate change are already visible on the ground.