Soil–plant N processes in a High Arctic ecosystem, NW Greenland are altered by long‐term experimental warming and higher rainfall
Abstract Rapid temperature and precipitation changes in High Arctic tundra ecosystems are altering the biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), but in ways that are difficult to predict. The challenge grows from the uncertainty of N cycle responses and the extent to which shifts in soil...
Published in: | Global Change Biology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2013
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12318 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fgcb.12318 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.12318 |
id |
crwiley:10.1111/gcb.12318 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1111/gcb.12318 2024-06-23T07:49:50+00:00 Soil–plant N processes in a High Arctic ecosystem, NW Greenland are altered by long‐term experimental warming and higher rainfall Schaeffer, Sean M. Sharp, Elizabeth Schimel, Joshua P. Welker, Jeffery M. 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12318 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fgcb.12318 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.12318 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Global Change Biology volume 19, issue 11, page 3529-3539 ISSN 1354-1013 1365-2486 journal-article 2013 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12318 2024-06-13T04:23:21Z Abstract Rapid temperature and precipitation changes in High Arctic tundra ecosystems are altering the biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), but in ways that are difficult to predict. The challenge grows from the uncertainty of N cycle responses and the extent to which shifts in soil N are coupled with the C cycle and productivity of tundra systems. We used a long‐term (since 2003) experiment of summer warming and supplemental summer water additions to a High Arctic ecosystem in NW Greenland, and applied a combination of discrete sampling and in situ soil core incubations to measure C and N pools and seasonal microbial processes that might control plant‐available N. We hypothesized that elevated temperature and increased precipitation would stimulate microbial activity and net inorganic N mineralization, thereby increasing plant N‐availability through the growing season. While we did find increased N mineralization rates under both global change scenarios, water addition also significantly increased net nitrification rates, loss of NO 3 − ‐N via leaching, and lowered rates of labile organic N production. We also expected the chronic warming and watering would lead to long‐term changes in soil N‐cycling that would be reflected in soil δ 15 N values. We found that soil δ 15 N decreased under the different climate change scenarios. Our results suggest that temperature accelerates biological processes and existing C and N transformations, but moisture increases soil hydraulic connectivity and so alters the pathways, and changes the fate of the products of C and N transformations. In addition, our findings indicate that warmer, wetter High Arctic tundra will be cycling N and C in ways that may transform these landscapes in part leading to greater C sequestration, but simultaneously, N losses from the upper soil profile that may be transported to depth dissolved in water and or transported off site in lateral flow. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Greenland Tundra Wiley Online Library Arctic Greenland Global Change Biology n/a n/a |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Rapid temperature and precipitation changes in High Arctic tundra ecosystems are altering the biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), but in ways that are difficult to predict. The challenge grows from the uncertainty of N cycle responses and the extent to which shifts in soil N are coupled with the C cycle and productivity of tundra systems. We used a long‐term (since 2003) experiment of summer warming and supplemental summer water additions to a High Arctic ecosystem in NW Greenland, and applied a combination of discrete sampling and in situ soil core incubations to measure C and N pools and seasonal microbial processes that might control plant‐available N. We hypothesized that elevated temperature and increased precipitation would stimulate microbial activity and net inorganic N mineralization, thereby increasing plant N‐availability through the growing season. While we did find increased N mineralization rates under both global change scenarios, water addition also significantly increased net nitrification rates, loss of NO 3 − ‐N via leaching, and lowered rates of labile organic N production. We also expected the chronic warming and watering would lead to long‐term changes in soil N‐cycling that would be reflected in soil δ 15 N values. We found that soil δ 15 N decreased under the different climate change scenarios. Our results suggest that temperature accelerates biological processes and existing C and N transformations, but moisture increases soil hydraulic connectivity and so alters the pathways, and changes the fate of the products of C and N transformations. In addition, our findings indicate that warmer, wetter High Arctic tundra will be cycling N and C in ways that may transform these landscapes in part leading to greater C sequestration, but simultaneously, N losses from the upper soil profile that may be transported to depth dissolved in water and or transported off site in lateral flow. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Schaeffer, Sean M. Sharp, Elizabeth Schimel, Joshua P. Welker, Jeffery M. |
spellingShingle |
Schaeffer, Sean M. Sharp, Elizabeth Schimel, Joshua P. Welker, Jeffery M. Soil–plant N processes in a High Arctic ecosystem, NW Greenland are altered by long‐term experimental warming and higher rainfall |
author_facet |
Schaeffer, Sean M. Sharp, Elizabeth Schimel, Joshua P. Welker, Jeffery M. |
author_sort |
Schaeffer, Sean M. |
title |
Soil–plant N processes in a High Arctic ecosystem, NW Greenland are altered by long‐term experimental warming and higher rainfall |
title_short |
Soil–plant N processes in a High Arctic ecosystem, NW Greenland are altered by long‐term experimental warming and higher rainfall |
title_full |
Soil–plant N processes in a High Arctic ecosystem, NW Greenland are altered by long‐term experimental warming and higher rainfall |
title_fullStr |
Soil–plant N processes in a High Arctic ecosystem, NW Greenland are altered by long‐term experimental warming and higher rainfall |
title_full_unstemmed |
Soil–plant N processes in a High Arctic ecosystem, NW Greenland are altered by long‐term experimental warming and higher rainfall |
title_sort |
soil–plant n processes in a high arctic ecosystem, nw greenland are altered by long‐term experimental warming and higher rainfall |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12318 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fgcb.12318 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.12318 |
geographic |
Arctic Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Greenland |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Greenland Tundra |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Greenland Tundra |
op_source |
Global Change Biology volume 19, issue 11, page 3529-3539 ISSN 1354-1013 1365-2486 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12318 |
container_title |
Global Change Biology |
container_start_page |
n/a |
op_container_end_page |
n/a |
_version_ |
1802640510162042880 |