Eight Mile Lake Research Watershed, Thaw Gradient: Geochemical data from perched waters collected from boreholes on Gradient site during August-September 2019
In this larger study, we are asking the question: Is old carbon that comprises the bulk of the soil organic matter pool released in response to thawing of permafrost? We are answering this question by using a combination of field and laboratory experiments to measure radiocarbon isotope ratios in so...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Dataset |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Environmental Data Initiative
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/826550e1b769269eafe11db438a79bde https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?packageid=knb-lter-bnz.778.2 |
| Summary: | In this larger study, we are asking the question: Is old carbon that comprises the bulk of the soil organic matter pool released in response to thawing of permafrost? We are answering this question by using a combination of field and laboratory experiments to measure radiocarbon isotope ratios in soil organic matter, soil respiration, and dissolved organic carbon, in tundra ecosystems. The objective of these proposed measurements is to develop a mechanistic understanding of the SOM sources contributing to C losses following permafrost thawing. We are making these measurements at an established tundra field site near Healy, Alaska in the foothills of the Alaska Range. Field measurements center on a natural experiment where permafrost has been observed to warm and thaw over the past several decades. This area represents a gradient of sites each with a different degree of change due to permafrost thawing. As such, this area is unique for addressing questions at the time and spatial scales relevant for change in arctic ecosystems. Geochemical analysis of water perched on the permafrost table complements the overarching aim of this study by targeting the organic component transported laterally from the soils. The association between DOC and mineral elements in the waters perched on the permafrost table was determined. These mineral element-organic carbon associations must be accounted for when considering the stability of organic carbon transported laterally from the catchment. |
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