Traveling Light: Arctic Coastal Erosion Releases Mostly Matrix Free, Unprotected Organic Carbon

Abstract The Arctic rapidly warms and sea ice retreats, a large fraction of organic carbon (OC), currently stored in coastal permafrost will be released into the marine system. Once reintroduced into the active carbon cycle, this material will either be decomposed or buried on the shelf depending on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: F. C. J. vanCrimpen, L. Madaj, D. Whalen, T. Tesi, J. M. vanGenuchten, L. Bröder, T. I. Eglinton, N. Haghipour, J. E. Vonk
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024
Subjects:
permafrost
organic carbon
coastal erosion
Canadian Beaufort sea
hydrodynamic fractionation
Geophysics. Cosmic physics
QC801-809
Beaufort Sea
Ice
Sea ice
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108622
https://doaj.org/article/9018fc4696054ab0a3c643dd15f3f8f6
Description
Summary:Abstract The Arctic rapidly warms and sea ice retreats, a large fraction of organic carbon (OC), currently stored in coastal permafrost will be released into the marine system. Once reintroduced into the active carbon cycle, this material will either be decomposed or buried on the shelf depending on its hydrodynamic and chemical properties. Currently, carbon estimates are based on bulk measurements, which does not take the hydrodynamic pathway of different fractions into account. Therefore, eight coastal permafrost locations have been sampled along the Canadian Beaufort Sea Coast, hydrodynamically fractionated and analyzed for their C, N, 13C and 14C content. We found that the matrix‐free fraction (low density <1.8 g/cm3, and high‐density >1.8 g/cm3; <38 μm) account for 77%–98% of the OC. By using a coastal classification combined with field data, our results showed that short coastal segments can become key players in delivering matrix‐free, easily degradable OC to the marine system.

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