Carbon release from Sphagnum peat during thawing in a montane area in China

Soil thawing may affect the turnover of soil organic carbon (C) and the release of C to the atmosphere. Little is known about C release during thawing in the Great Hing'an Mountains, China. Through the incubations, we studied the emissions of CO2 and CH4 during thawing from the Sphagnum moss layer to the permafrost layer under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Carbon was released quickly during thawing under different conditions. The Sphagnum moss layer produced more CO2 than the other layers. However, there was little CH4 release during thawing in the Sphagnum moss layer and burst of CH4 emissions in the peat and permafrost soils. These bursts include stored CH4 in the frozen samples and productions from microbial activity. The temperature sensitivity during thawing decreased across the freezing point in the Sphagnum moss layer, did not change greatly in the root layer, and increased greatly in the peat and permafrost layers. Changes in soil substrates and enzyme activities may affect C release during thawing.