近日，西班牙国家研究委员会Rafael Marcé团队报道了咸海的干涸重塑了中亚地区的人为碳清单。相关论文于2026年7月16日发表在《科学》杂志上。

湖泊在沉积物中储存大量碳，对气候调节具有重要作用。然而，湖泊干涸后这些碳的归宿尚不清楚。

研究组采用时空替代方法，结合沉积物岩芯、二氧化碳通量测量和遥感数据，量化了世界上最大的干涸湖泊（咸海）的有机碳损失。自1960年以来，暴露的湖床沉积物已释放204±53太克碳（Tg C），而植被生长抵消的碳不足1%。

纳入这些碳排放会改变区域碳预算，使咸海盆地从假设的土地利用变化碳汇转变为净碳源。若湖泊水位恢复，则可避免额外165±13 Tg C的释放，这使得湖泊恢复不仅是一项生态和人道主义要务，也是一次气候减缓的机遇。

附：英文原文

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

Author: Rafael Marcé, Daniel Diaz -de-Quijano, Sofía Rodríguez-Gómez, Enrique Moreno-Ostos, Makhambet Mukhtar, Bjrn Wissel, Zoraida Quiones-Rivera, Carolina Olid, Santiago Giralt, Joan Pere Casas-Ruiz, Georgiy Kirillin, Daniel Mercado-Bettín, Valentí Rodellas, Jordi Ibáez-Insa, Núria Catalán

Issue&Volume: 2026-07-16

Abstract: 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.

DOI: aeb2344

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aeb2344