TY - JOUR
T1 - Widespread peat carbon losses driven by the 2025 Scottish megafire
AU - Schoenecker, Johanna
AU - Baur, Martin J.
AU - Kohli, Juliana
AU - Baker, Sarah
AU - Jones, Matthew
AU - Veraverbeke, Sander
AU - Konings, Alexandra G.
AU - Pellegrini, Adam F. A.
PY - 2026/5/20
Y1 - 2026/5/20
N2 - Drier and warmer climates have allowed fires to increasingly burn carbon-dense peatland ecosystems. Here we document a 2025 Scottish megafire in the UK, which spread rapidly and burned severely across peatlands in Scotland with anomalously low soil moisture, emitting 38,600 MgC (25,200–119,000 MgC). Peat combustion contributed nearly 85% of total emissions, suggesting drier climates increase fire emissions from peat, which can require decades to centuries to recover.
AB - Drier and warmer climates have allowed fires to increasingly burn carbon-dense peatland ecosystems. Here we document a 2025 Scottish megafire in the UK, which spread rapidly and burned severely across peatlands in Scotland with anomalously low soil moisture, emitting 38,600 MgC (25,200–119,000 MgC). Peat combustion contributed nearly 85% of total emissions, suggesting drier climates increase fire emissions from peat, which can require decades to centuries to recover.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105039670822
U2 - 10.1038/s41561-026-01994-3
DO - 10.1038/s41561-026-01994-3
M3 - Article
SN - 1752-0894
JO - Nature Geoscience
JF - Nature Geoscience
ER -