In high-latitude peatlands, the net effect of climate change on the permafrost peatland carbon sink capacity remains uncertain . Increasing air temperatures have been linked to permafrost degradation and altered hydrological regimes , which have led to rapid changes in plant communities and bio-geochemical cycling  . In many instances, permafrost degradation triggers thermokarst land subsidence associated with local wetting  . Permafrost thaw in peatland-rich landscapes can also cause local drying through increased hydrological connectivity and runoff . In the first decades following thaw, increases in methane, CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions have been recorded from peatland sites, depending on surface moisture conditions (Schuur et al., 2009; O'Donnell et al., 2012;
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report