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

• 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

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.