This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Ding, J, Li, F, Yang, G, Chen, L, Zhang, B, Liu, L, Fang, K, Qin, S, Chen, Y, Peng, Y, Ji, C, He, H, Smith, P & Yang, Y 2016, 'The permafrost carbon inventory on the Tibetan Plateau: a new evaluation using deep sediment cores' Global Change Biology., which has been published in final form at doi: 10.1111/gcb.13257. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.