Permafrost carbon—climate feedback is sensitive to deep soil carbon decomposability but not deep soil nitrogen dynamics
Permafrost soils contain enormous amounts of organic carbon whose stability is contingent on remaining frozen. With future warming, these soils may release carbon to the atmosphere and act as a positive feedback to climate change. Significant uncertainty remains on the postthaw carbon dynamics of pe...
Published in: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
2023
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1221823 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1221823 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1415123112 |
id |
ftosti:oai:osti.gov:1221823 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftosti:oai:osti.gov:1221823 2023-07-30T04:06:13+02:00 Permafrost carbon—climate feedback is sensitive to deep soil carbon decomposability but not deep soil nitrogen dynamics Koven, Charles D. Lawrence, David M. Riley, William J. 2023-06-26 application/pdf http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1221823 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1221823 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1415123112 unknown http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1221823 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1221823 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1415123112 doi:10.1073/pnas.1415123112 58 GEOSCIENCES 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 2023 ftosti https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1415123112 2023-07-11T09:03:33Z Permafrost soils contain enormous amounts of organic carbon whose stability is contingent on remaining frozen. With future warming, these soils may release carbon to the atmosphere and act as a positive feedback to climate change. Significant uncertainty remains on the postthaw carbon dynamics of permafrost-affected ecosystems, in particular since most of the carbon resides at depth where decomposition dynamics may differ from surface soils, and since nitrogen mineralized by decomposition may enhance plant growth. Here we show, using a carbon–nitrogen model that includes permafrost processes forced in an unmitigated warming scenario, that the future carbon balance of the permafrost region is highly sensitive to the decomposability of deeper carbon, with the net balance ranging from 21 Pg C to 164 Pg C losses by 2300. Increased soil nitrogen mineralization reduces nutrient limitations, but the impact of deep nitrogen on the carbon budget is small due to enhanced nitrogen availability from warming surface soils and seasonal asynchrony between deeper nitrogen availability and plant nitrogen demands. The future carbon balance of this region is projected to hinge more on the rate and extent of permafrost thaw and soil decomposition than on enhanced nitrogen availability for vegetation growth resulting from permafrost thaw. Other/Unknown Material permafrost SciTec Connect (Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI, U.S. Department of Energy) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112 12 3752 3757 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
SciTec Connect (Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI, U.S. Department of Energy) |
op_collection_id |
ftosti |
language |
unknown |
topic |
58 GEOSCIENCES 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES |
spellingShingle |
58 GEOSCIENCES 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Koven, Charles D. Lawrence, David M. Riley, William J. Permafrost carbon—climate feedback is sensitive to deep soil carbon decomposability but not deep soil nitrogen dynamics |
topic_facet |
58 GEOSCIENCES 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES |
description |
Permafrost soils contain enormous amounts of organic carbon whose stability is contingent on remaining frozen. With future warming, these soils may release carbon to the atmosphere and act as a positive feedback to climate change. Significant uncertainty remains on the postthaw carbon dynamics of permafrost-affected ecosystems, in particular since most of the carbon resides at depth where decomposition dynamics may differ from surface soils, and since nitrogen mineralized by decomposition may enhance plant growth. Here we show, using a carbon–nitrogen model that includes permafrost processes forced in an unmitigated warming scenario, that the future carbon balance of the permafrost region is highly sensitive to the decomposability of deeper carbon, with the net balance ranging from 21 Pg C to 164 Pg C losses by 2300. Increased soil nitrogen mineralization reduces nutrient limitations, but the impact of deep nitrogen on the carbon budget is small due to enhanced nitrogen availability from warming surface soils and seasonal asynchrony between deeper nitrogen availability and plant nitrogen demands. The future carbon balance of this region is projected to hinge more on the rate and extent of permafrost thaw and soil decomposition than on enhanced nitrogen availability for vegetation growth resulting from permafrost thaw. |
author |
Koven, Charles D. Lawrence, David M. Riley, William J. |
author_facet |
Koven, Charles D. Lawrence, David M. Riley, William J. |
author_sort |
Koven, Charles D. |
title |
Permafrost carbon—climate feedback is sensitive to deep soil carbon decomposability but not deep soil nitrogen dynamics |
title_short |
Permafrost carbon—climate feedback is sensitive to deep soil carbon decomposability but not deep soil nitrogen dynamics |
title_full |
Permafrost carbon—climate feedback is sensitive to deep soil carbon decomposability but not deep soil nitrogen dynamics |
title_fullStr |
Permafrost carbon—climate feedback is sensitive to deep soil carbon decomposability but not deep soil nitrogen dynamics |
title_full_unstemmed |
Permafrost carbon—climate feedback is sensitive to deep soil carbon decomposability but not deep soil nitrogen dynamics |
title_sort |
permafrost carbon—climate feedback is sensitive to deep soil carbon decomposability but not deep soil nitrogen dynamics |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1221823 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1221823 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1415123112 |
genre |
permafrost |
genre_facet |
permafrost |
op_relation |
http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1221823 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1221823 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1415123112 doi:10.1073/pnas.1415123112 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1415123112 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
container_volume |
112 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
3752 |
op_container_end_page |
3757 |
_version_ |
1772818679253172224 |