Active layer hydrology in an arctic tundra ecosystem: quantifying water sources and cycling using water stable isotopes
Abstract Climate change and thawing permafrost in the Arctic will significantly alter landscape hydro‐geomorphology and the distribution of soil moisture, which will have cascading effects on climate feedbacks (CO 2 and CH 4 ) and plant and microbial communities. Fundamental processes critical to pr...
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crwiley:10.1002/hyp.10883 2024-06-23T07:50:16+00:00 Active layer hydrology in an arctic tundra ecosystem: quantifying water sources and cycling using water stable isotopes Throckmorton, Heather M. Newman, Brent D. Heikoop, Jeffrey M. Perkins, George B. Feng, Xiahong Graham, David E. O'Malley, Daniel Vesselinov, Velimir V. Young, Jessica Wullschleger, Stan D. Wilson, Cathy J. LANL Laboratory Directed Research and Development Project DOE Office of Science Project 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10883 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fhyp.10883 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.10883 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Hydrological Processes volume 30, issue 26, page 4972-4986 ISSN 0885-6087 1099-1085 journal-article 2016 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10883 2024-06-06T04:20:29Z Abstract Climate change and thawing permafrost in the Arctic will significantly alter landscape hydro‐geomorphology and the distribution of soil moisture, which will have cascading effects on climate feedbacks (CO 2 and CH 4 ) and plant and microbial communities. Fundamental processes critical to predicting active layer hydrology are not well understood. This study applied water stable isotope techniques ( δ 2 H and δ 18 O) to infer sources and mixing of active layer waters in a polygonal tundra landscape in Barrow, Alaska (USA), in August and September of 2012. Results suggested that winter precipitation did not contribute substantially to surface waters or subsurface active layer pore waters measured in August and September. Summer rain was the main source of water to the active layer, with seasonal ice melt contributing to deeper pore waters later in the season. Surface water evaporation was evident in August from a characteristic isotopic fractionation slope ( δ 2 H vs δ 18 O). Freeze‐out isotopic fractionation effects in frozen active layer samples and textural permafrost were indistinguishable from evaporation fractionation, emphasizing the importance of considering the most likely processes in water isotope studies, in systems where both evaporation and freeze‐out occur in close proximity. The fractionation observed in frozen active layer ice was not observed in liquid active layer pore waters. Such a discrepancy between frozen and liquid active layer samples suggests mixing of meltwater, likely due to slow melting of seasonal ice. This research provides insight into fundamental processes relating to sources and mixing of active layer waters, which should be considered in process‐based fine‐scale and intermediate‐scale hydrologic models. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Barrow Climate change Ice permafrost Tundra Alaska Wiley Online Library Arctic Hydrological Processes 30 26 4972 4986 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Climate change and thawing permafrost in the Arctic will significantly alter landscape hydro‐geomorphology and the distribution of soil moisture, which will have cascading effects on climate feedbacks (CO 2 and CH 4 ) and plant and microbial communities. Fundamental processes critical to predicting active layer hydrology are not well understood. This study applied water stable isotope techniques ( δ 2 H and δ 18 O) to infer sources and mixing of active layer waters in a polygonal tundra landscape in Barrow, Alaska (USA), in August and September of 2012. Results suggested that winter precipitation did not contribute substantially to surface waters or subsurface active layer pore waters measured in August and September. Summer rain was the main source of water to the active layer, with seasonal ice melt contributing to deeper pore waters later in the season. Surface water evaporation was evident in August from a characteristic isotopic fractionation slope ( δ 2 H vs δ 18 O). Freeze‐out isotopic fractionation effects in frozen active layer samples and textural permafrost were indistinguishable from evaporation fractionation, emphasizing the importance of considering the most likely processes in water isotope studies, in systems where both evaporation and freeze‐out occur in close proximity. The fractionation observed in frozen active layer ice was not observed in liquid active layer pore waters. Such a discrepancy between frozen and liquid active layer samples suggests mixing of meltwater, likely due to slow melting of seasonal ice. This research provides insight into fundamental processes relating to sources and mixing of active layer waters, which should be considered in process‐based fine‐scale and intermediate‐scale hydrologic models. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
author2 |
LANL Laboratory Directed Research and Development Project DOE Office of Science Project |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Throckmorton, Heather M. Newman, Brent D. Heikoop, Jeffrey M. Perkins, George B. Feng, Xiahong Graham, David E. O'Malley, Daniel Vesselinov, Velimir V. Young, Jessica Wullschleger, Stan D. Wilson, Cathy J. |
spellingShingle |
Throckmorton, Heather M. Newman, Brent D. Heikoop, Jeffrey M. Perkins, George B. Feng, Xiahong Graham, David E. O'Malley, Daniel Vesselinov, Velimir V. Young, Jessica Wullschleger, Stan D. Wilson, Cathy J. Active layer hydrology in an arctic tundra ecosystem: quantifying water sources and cycling using water stable isotopes |
author_facet |
Throckmorton, Heather M. Newman, Brent D. Heikoop, Jeffrey M. Perkins, George B. Feng, Xiahong Graham, David E. O'Malley, Daniel Vesselinov, Velimir V. Young, Jessica Wullschleger, Stan D. Wilson, Cathy J. |
author_sort |
Throckmorton, Heather M. |
title |
Active layer hydrology in an arctic tundra ecosystem: quantifying water sources and cycling using water stable isotopes |
title_short |
Active layer hydrology in an arctic tundra ecosystem: quantifying water sources and cycling using water stable isotopes |
title_full |
Active layer hydrology in an arctic tundra ecosystem: quantifying water sources and cycling using water stable isotopes |
title_fullStr |
Active layer hydrology in an arctic tundra ecosystem: quantifying water sources and cycling using water stable isotopes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Active layer hydrology in an arctic tundra ecosystem: quantifying water sources and cycling using water stable isotopes |
title_sort |
active layer hydrology in an arctic tundra ecosystem: quantifying water sources and cycling using water stable isotopes |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10883 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fhyp.10883 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.10883 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Barrow Climate change Ice permafrost Tundra Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic Barrow Climate change Ice permafrost Tundra Alaska |
op_source |
Hydrological Processes volume 30, issue 26, page 4972-4986 ISSN 0885-6087 1099-1085 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10883 |
container_title |
Hydrological Processes |
container_volume |
30 |
container_issue |
26 |
container_start_page |
4972 |
op_container_end_page |
4986 |
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1802641142569762816 |