Mismatch of N release from the permafrost and vegetative uptake opens pathways of increasing nitrous oxide emissions in the high Arctic
Abstract Biogeochemical cycling in permafrost‐affected ecosystems remains associated with large uncertainties, which could impact the Earth's greenhouse gas budget and future climate policies. In particular, increased nutrient availability following permafrost thaw could perturb the greenhouse...
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crwiley:10.1111/gcb.16345 2024-06-23T07:49:51+00:00 Mismatch of N release from the permafrost and vegetative uptake opens pathways of increasing nitrous oxide emissions in the high Arctic Lacroix, Fabrice Zaehle, Sönke Caldararu, Silvia Schaller, Jörg Stimmler, Peter Holl, David Kutzbach, Lars Göckede, Mathias Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Horizon 2020 Framework Programme 2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16345 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.16345 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/gcb.16345 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Global Change Biology volume 28, issue 20, page 5973-5990 ISSN 1354-1013 1365-2486 journal-article 2022 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16345 2024-06-11T04:43:35Z Abstract Biogeochemical cycling in permafrost‐affected ecosystems remains associated with large uncertainties, which could impact the Earth's greenhouse gas budget and future climate policies. In particular, increased nutrient availability following permafrost thaw could perturb the greenhouse gas exchange in these systems, an effect largely unexplored until now. Here, we enhance the terrestrial ecosystem model QUINCY (QUantifying Interactions between terrestrial Nutrient CYcles and the climate system), which simulates fully coupled carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles in vegetation and soil, with processes relevant in high latitudes (e.g., soil freezing and snow dynamics). In combination with site‐level and satellite‐based observations, we use the model to investigate impacts of increased nutrient availability from permafrost thawing in comparison to other climate‐induced effects and CO 2 fertilization over 1960 to 2018 across the high Arctic. Our simulations show that enhanced availability of nutrients following permafrost thaw account for less than 15% of the total Gross primary productivity increase over the time period, despite simulated N limitation over the high Arctic scale. As an explanation for this weak fertilization effect, observational and model data indicate a mismatch between the timing of peak vegetative growth (week 26–27 of the year, corresponding to the beginning of July) and peak thaw depth (week 32–35, mid‐to‐late August), resulting in incomplete plant use of nutrients near the permafrost table. The resulting increasing N availability approaching the permafrost table enhances N loss pathways, which leads to rising nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions in our model. Site‐level emission trends of 2 mg N m −2 year −1 on average over the historical time period could therefore predict an emerging increasing source of N 2 O emissions following future permafrost thaw in the high Arctic. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic permafrost Wiley Online Library Arctic Global Change Biology 28 20 5973 5990 |
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Open Polar |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
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English |
description |
Abstract Biogeochemical cycling in permafrost‐affected ecosystems remains associated with large uncertainties, which could impact the Earth's greenhouse gas budget and future climate policies. In particular, increased nutrient availability following permafrost thaw could perturb the greenhouse gas exchange in these systems, an effect largely unexplored until now. Here, we enhance the terrestrial ecosystem model QUINCY (QUantifying Interactions between terrestrial Nutrient CYcles and the climate system), which simulates fully coupled carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles in vegetation and soil, with processes relevant in high latitudes (e.g., soil freezing and snow dynamics). In combination with site‐level and satellite‐based observations, we use the model to investigate impacts of increased nutrient availability from permafrost thawing in comparison to other climate‐induced effects and CO 2 fertilization over 1960 to 2018 across the high Arctic. Our simulations show that enhanced availability of nutrients following permafrost thaw account for less than 15% of the total Gross primary productivity increase over the time period, despite simulated N limitation over the high Arctic scale. As an explanation for this weak fertilization effect, observational and model data indicate a mismatch between the timing of peak vegetative growth (week 26–27 of the year, corresponding to the beginning of July) and peak thaw depth (week 32–35, mid‐to‐late August), resulting in incomplete plant use of nutrients near the permafrost table. The resulting increasing N availability approaching the permafrost table enhances N loss pathways, which leads to rising nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions in our model. Site‐level emission trends of 2 mg N m −2 year −1 on average over the historical time period could therefore predict an emerging increasing source of N 2 O emissions following future permafrost thaw in the high Arctic. |
author2 |
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Horizon 2020 Framework Programme |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lacroix, Fabrice Zaehle, Sönke Caldararu, Silvia Schaller, Jörg Stimmler, Peter Holl, David Kutzbach, Lars Göckede, Mathias |
spellingShingle |
Lacroix, Fabrice Zaehle, Sönke Caldararu, Silvia Schaller, Jörg Stimmler, Peter Holl, David Kutzbach, Lars Göckede, Mathias Mismatch of N release from the permafrost and vegetative uptake opens pathways of increasing nitrous oxide emissions in the high Arctic |
author_facet |
Lacroix, Fabrice Zaehle, Sönke Caldararu, Silvia Schaller, Jörg Stimmler, Peter Holl, David Kutzbach, Lars Göckede, Mathias |
author_sort |
Lacroix, Fabrice |
title |
Mismatch of N release from the permafrost and vegetative uptake opens pathways of increasing nitrous oxide emissions in the high Arctic |
title_short |
Mismatch of N release from the permafrost and vegetative uptake opens pathways of increasing nitrous oxide emissions in the high Arctic |
title_full |
Mismatch of N release from the permafrost and vegetative uptake opens pathways of increasing nitrous oxide emissions in the high Arctic |
title_fullStr |
Mismatch of N release from the permafrost and vegetative uptake opens pathways of increasing nitrous oxide emissions in the high Arctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mismatch of N release from the permafrost and vegetative uptake opens pathways of increasing nitrous oxide emissions in the high Arctic |
title_sort |
mismatch of n release from the permafrost and vegetative uptake opens pathways of increasing nitrous oxide emissions in the high arctic |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16345 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.16345 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/gcb.16345 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic permafrost |
genre_facet |
Arctic permafrost |
op_source |
Global Change Biology volume 28, issue 20, page 5973-5990 ISSN 1354-1013 1365-2486 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16345 |
container_title |
Global Change Biology |
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28 |
container_issue |
20 |
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5973 |
op_container_end_page |
5990 |
_version_ |
1802640523811356672 |