Landscape patterns of carbon fluxes in natural and disturbed ice-wedge-polygon tundra

The degradation of ice-rich permafrost ecosystems due to climate change and infrastructure development strongly impacts carbon exchange dynamics in tundra landscapes. This study investigates the effects of surficial geology and infrastructure disturbances from road dust and flooding on vegetation an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research
Main Authors: Anja Kade, Donald A. Walker, Martha K. Raynolds, Amy L. Breen, Olivia M. Hobgood
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024
Subjects:
Arctic vegetation
carbon flux
polygonal tundra
permafrost
closed-chamber measurements
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Ecology
QH540-549.5
Arctic
Antarctic and Alpine Research
Climate change
Ice
Prudhoe Bay
Tundra
wedge*
Alaska
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2024.2391244
https://doaj.org/article/2462dfec8b264d2ba6d224c6c8ae1073
Description
Summary:The degradation of ice-rich permafrost ecosystems due to climate change and infrastructure development strongly impacts carbon exchange dynamics in tundra landscapes. This study investigates the effects of surficial geology and infrastructure disturbances from road dust and flooding on vegetation and trace gas fluxes in polygonal ice-wedge tundra in arctic Alaska. We compared CO2 and CH4 fluxes from closed-chamber measurements at common landform elements (polygon centers, troughs, and rims) at a natural site and a disturbed site within the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field. Relationships among environmental parameters, plant species composition, and trace gas fluxes were assessed through nonmetric multidimensional scaling. Map extrapolations showed spatial variations in midsummer landscape-level ecosystem productivity and CH4 efflux at the various geologic landforms. Highest carbon uptake occurred in ice-rich drained thaw lake basins with aquatic, graminoid-dominated polygon troughs. In contrast, wet, featureless areas associated with more recently drained, ice-poor thaw lake basins showed a net carbon loss even during summer. The damming effect of road infrastructure led to deeply flooded, minimally vegetated troughs with low ecosystem respiration and high CH4 fluxes close to the road. This work highlights the importance of the complex interactions among surficial geology, landform elements, vegetation type, and disturbance factors in understanding carbon exchange dynamics in ice-rich permafrost environments.

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