The importance of a surface organic layer in simulating permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics
Permafrost-affected soils contain twice as much carbon as currently exists in the atmosphere. Studies show that warming of the perennially frozen ground could initiate significant release of the frozen soil carbon into the atmosphere. Initializing the frozen permafrost carbon with the observed soil...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-465-2016 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/10/465/2016/ |
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:tc30348 2023-05-15T13:03:01+02:00 The importance of a surface organic layer in simulating permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics Jafarov, Elchin Schaefer, Kevin 2018-09-27 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-465-2016 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/10/465/2016/ eng eng doi:10.5194/tc-10-465-2016 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/10/465/2016/ eISSN: 1994-0424 Text 2018 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-465-2016 2020-07-20T16:24:15Z Permafrost-affected soils contain twice as much carbon as currently exists in the atmosphere. Studies show that warming of the perennially frozen ground could initiate significant release of the frozen soil carbon into the atmosphere. Initializing the frozen permafrost carbon with the observed soil carbon distribution from the Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database reduces the uncertainty associated with the modeling of the permafrost carbon feedback. To improve permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics we implemented a dynamic surface organic layer with vertical carbon redistribution, and introduced dynamic root growth controlled by active layer thickness, which improved soil carbon exchange between frozen and thawed pools. These changes increased the initial amount of simulated frozen carbon from 313 to 560 Gt C, consistent with observed frozen carbon stocks, and increased the spatial correlation of the simulated and observed distribution of frozen carbon from 0.12 to 0.63. Text Active layer thickness permafrost Copernicus Publications: E-Journals The Cryosphere 10 1 465 475 |
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Open Polar |
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Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
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ftcopernicus |
language |
English |
description |
Permafrost-affected soils contain twice as much carbon as currently exists in the atmosphere. Studies show that warming of the perennially frozen ground could initiate significant release of the frozen soil carbon into the atmosphere. Initializing the frozen permafrost carbon with the observed soil carbon distribution from the Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database reduces the uncertainty associated with the modeling of the permafrost carbon feedback. To improve permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics we implemented a dynamic surface organic layer with vertical carbon redistribution, and introduced dynamic root growth controlled by active layer thickness, which improved soil carbon exchange between frozen and thawed pools. These changes increased the initial amount of simulated frozen carbon from 313 to 560 Gt C, consistent with observed frozen carbon stocks, and increased the spatial correlation of the simulated and observed distribution of frozen carbon from 0.12 to 0.63. |
format |
Text |
author |
Jafarov, Elchin Schaefer, Kevin |
spellingShingle |
Jafarov, Elchin Schaefer, Kevin The importance of a surface organic layer in simulating permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics |
author_facet |
Jafarov, Elchin Schaefer, Kevin |
author_sort |
Jafarov, Elchin |
title |
The importance of a surface organic layer in simulating permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics |
title_short |
The importance of a surface organic layer in simulating permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics |
title_full |
The importance of a surface organic layer in simulating permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics |
title_fullStr |
The importance of a surface organic layer in simulating permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics |
title_full_unstemmed |
The importance of a surface organic layer in simulating permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics |
title_sort |
importance of a surface organic layer in simulating permafrost thermal and carbon dynamics |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-465-2016 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/10/465/2016/ |
genre |
Active layer thickness permafrost |
genre_facet |
Active layer thickness permafrost |
op_source |
eISSN: 1994-0424 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/tc-10-465-2016 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/10/465/2016/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-465-2016 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
465 |
op_container_end_page |
475 |
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1766326638343094272 |