Peatlands serve as a large carbon (C) reservoir in the biosphere. Knowledge of their initiation, expansion and peat-accumulation can help predicting peat carbon fate under climate change scenarios. This study presented a data synthesis of peatland basal ages, area changes and C accumulation rate variations in the Hengduan Mountains Region (HDMR) since the Last Glacial Maximum. The HDMR peatlands showed initiation peaks at 14.5–13 ka BP, 12–10 ka BP and 7.5–5 ka BP; these three peaks are similar, respectively, to the peaks for Southern, Northern and Tropical peatlands. The peat C accumulation rates in the HDMR ranged from 3.6 to 118.3 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, with a mean value of 34.9 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹. Mean peat C accumulation in the HDMR peatlands during the Last Glacial Maximum was 34.7 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ in the North and 41.5 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ in the South. We estimate the C pool to be 1.95 Pg over the entire HDMR peatlands, with 1.73 Pg in the North and 0.22 Pg in the South. Our results suggest that the widespread peatland initiation and rapid peat accumulation in the HDMR reflect the regional environmental conditions.

泥炭地是生物圈中的大型碳（C）库。了解它们的萌生，扩展和泥炭积累可以帮助预测气候变化情景下的泥炭碳命运。这项研究提供了自上次冰川期以来横断山脉地区泥炭地基龄，面积变化和碳积累速率变化的数据综合。HDMR泥炭地在14.5–13 ka BP，12–10 ka BP和7.5–5 ka BP处显示起始峰。这三个峰分别与南部，北部和热带泥炭地的峰相似。HDMR中泥炭C的积累速率为3.6至118.3 g C m ^-2 yr ^-1，平均值为34.9 g C m ^-2 yr ^-1。在最后一次冰期最大值期间，HDMR泥炭地的平均泥炭C积累在北部为34.7 g C m ^-2 yr ^-1，在南部为41.5 g C m ^-2 yr ^-1。我们估计整个HDMR泥炭地的碳库为1.95 Pg，北部为1.73 Pg，南部为0.22 Pg。我们的结果表明，HDMR中广泛的泥炭地萌生和快速的泥炭积累反映了该地区的环境条件。