Drying of the Aral Sea reshapes the anthropogenic carbon inventory of Central Asia

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Marce, Rafael; de-Quijano, Daniel Diaz; Rodriguez-Gomez, Sofia; Moreno-Ostos, Enrique; Mukhtar, Makhambet; Wissel, Bjorn; Quinones-Rivera, Zoraida; Olid, Carolina; Giralt, Santiago; Casas-Ruiz, Joan Pere; Kirillin, Georgiy; Mercado-Bettin, Daniel; Rodellas, Valenti; Ibanez-Insa, Jordi; Catalan, Nuria
• 署名单位: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC); CSIC - Centre d'Estudis Avancats de Blanes (CEAB); Institut Catala de Recerca de l'Aigua (ICRA); Universidad de Malaga; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Universite Lyon 1; CNRS - Institute of Ecology & Environment (INEE); University of Barcelona; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC); Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC); Universitat de les Illes Balears; ATTITUS Educacao; Leibniz Association; Leibniz Institut fur Gewasserokologie und Binnenfischerei (IGB); Autonomous University of Barcelona
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aeb2344
• 发表日期: 2026-07-16
• 页码: 300-305
• 关键词: BIOMASS ALLOCATION; LAKE BASINS; dust; sediments; LAND; SOILS/SEDIMENTS; vegetation; emissions; DYNAMICS; decline

摘要

Lakes store large quantities of carbon in their sediments, contributing to climate regulation. Yet the fate of this carbon after lake desiccation remains unclear. Using a space-for-time substitution approach, combining sediment cores, carbon dioxide flux measurements, and remote sensing, we quantified organic carbon losses from the world's largest desiccated lake, the Aral Sea. Since 1960, exposed lake bed sediments have released 204 +/- 53 teragrams of carbon (Tg C), with vegetation growth offsetting less than 1%. Incorporating these emissions alters the regional carbon budget, transforming the Aral Sea basin from a presumed land-use-change carbon sink into a net source. Reflooding the sea could prevent an additional 165 +/- 13 Tg C release, reframing restoration not only as an ecological and humanitarian imperative but also as a climate mitigation opportunity.