Compiled Multi-Lab Geochemistry Synoptic Survey (LANL, ORNL, LBNL), Barrow, Alaska, 2012
Polygonal ground is a signature characteristic of the Arctic, and permafrost thaw can potentially generate substantial feedbacks to Arctic ecosystems and climate. This study describes the first comprehensive spatial examination of active layer biogeochemistry that extends across high- and low-center...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Dataset |
| Language: | English |
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Next Generation Ecosystems Experiment - Arctic, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (US); NGEE Arctic, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.5440/1164833 https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1164833/ |
| Summary: | Polygonal ground is a signature characteristic of the Arctic, and permafrost thaw can potentially generate substantial feedbacks to Arctic ecosystems and climate. This study describes the first comprehensive spatial examination of active layer biogeochemistry that extends across high- and low-centered polygons and their features, including depth. Water chemistry measurements were made on active layer water samples collected near Barrow, Alaska during summer, 2012. Several significant differences in chemistry were observed between high- and low-centered polygons suggesting polygon types may be useful for landscape-scale geochemical classification. However, differences were found for polygon features (centers and troughs) for analytes that were not significant for type, suggesting that finer scale features control biogeochemistry in a different way than polygon type. Depth variations were also significant, demonstrating important multi-dimensional aspects of polygonal ground biogeochemistry. These results have major implications for understanding how polygonal ground ecosystems function, and how they may respond to future change. DOI 10.5440/1164833; https://doi.org/10.5440/1164833 |
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