Wildfire exacerbates high-latitude soil carbon losses from climate warming
Arctic and boreal permafrost soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition has been slower than carbon inputs from plant growth since the last glaciation. Anthropogenic climate warming has threatened this historical trend by accelerating SOC decomposition and altering wildfire regimes. We accurately model...
Published in: | Environmental Research Letters |
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Online Access: | http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1902912 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1902912 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac8be6 |
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ftosti:oai:osti.gov:1902912 2023-07-30T04:01:51+02:00 Wildfire exacerbates high-latitude soil carbon losses from climate warming Mekonnen, Zelalem A. Riley, William J. Randerson, James T. Shirley, Ian A. Bouskill, Nicholas J. Grant, Robert F. 2022-12-19 application/pdf http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1902912 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1902912 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac8be6 unknown http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1902912 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1902912 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac8be6 doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac8be6 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 2022 ftosti https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac8be6 2023-07-11T10:16:43Z Arctic and boreal permafrost soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition has been slower than carbon inputs from plant growth since the last glaciation. Anthropogenic climate warming has threatened this historical trend by accelerating SOC decomposition and altering wildfire regimes. We accurately modeled observed plant biomass and carbon emissions from wildfires in Alaskan ecosystems under current climate conditions. In projections to 2300 under the RCP8.5 climate scenario, we found that warming and increased atmospheric CO 2 will result in plant biomass gains and higher litterfall. However, increased carbon losses from (a) wildfire combustion and (b) rapid SOC decomposition driven by increased deciduous litter production, root exudation, and active layer depth will lead to about 4.4 PgC of soil carbon losses from Alaska by 2300 and most (88%) of these loses will be from the top 1 m of soil. These SOC losses offset plant carbon gains, causing the ecosystem to transition to a net carbon source after 2200. Simulations excluding wildfire increases yielded about a factor of four lower SOC losses by 2300. Our results show that projected wildfire and its direct and indirect effects on plant and soil carbon may accelerate high-latitude soil carbon losses, resulting in a positive feedback to climate change. Other/Unknown Material Arctic Climate change permafrost Alaska SciTec Connect (Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI, U.S. Department of Energy) Arctic Environmental Research Letters 17 9 094037 |
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SciTec Connect (Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI, U.S. Department of Energy) |
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language |
unknown |
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES |
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Mekonnen, Zelalem A. Riley, William J. Randerson, James T. Shirley, Ian A. Bouskill, Nicholas J. Grant, Robert F. Wildfire exacerbates high-latitude soil carbon losses from climate warming |
topic_facet |
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES |
description |
Arctic and boreal permafrost soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition has been slower than carbon inputs from plant growth since the last glaciation. Anthropogenic climate warming has threatened this historical trend by accelerating SOC decomposition and altering wildfire regimes. We accurately modeled observed plant biomass and carbon emissions from wildfires in Alaskan ecosystems under current climate conditions. In projections to 2300 under the RCP8.5 climate scenario, we found that warming and increased atmospheric CO 2 will result in plant biomass gains and higher litterfall. However, increased carbon losses from (a) wildfire combustion and (b) rapid SOC decomposition driven by increased deciduous litter production, root exudation, and active layer depth will lead to about 4.4 PgC of soil carbon losses from Alaska by 2300 and most (88%) of these loses will be from the top 1 m of soil. These SOC losses offset plant carbon gains, causing the ecosystem to transition to a net carbon source after 2200. Simulations excluding wildfire increases yielded about a factor of four lower SOC losses by 2300. Our results show that projected wildfire and its direct and indirect effects on plant and soil carbon may accelerate high-latitude soil carbon losses, resulting in a positive feedback to climate change. |
author |
Mekonnen, Zelalem A. Riley, William J. Randerson, James T. Shirley, Ian A. Bouskill, Nicholas J. Grant, Robert F. |
author_facet |
Mekonnen, Zelalem A. Riley, William J. Randerson, James T. Shirley, Ian A. Bouskill, Nicholas J. Grant, Robert F. |
author_sort |
Mekonnen, Zelalem A. |
title |
Wildfire exacerbates high-latitude soil carbon losses from climate warming |
title_short |
Wildfire exacerbates high-latitude soil carbon losses from climate warming |
title_full |
Wildfire exacerbates high-latitude soil carbon losses from climate warming |
title_fullStr |
Wildfire exacerbates high-latitude soil carbon losses from climate warming |
title_full_unstemmed |
Wildfire exacerbates high-latitude soil carbon losses from climate warming |
title_sort |
wildfire exacerbates high-latitude soil carbon losses from climate warming |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1902912 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1902912 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac8be6 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Climate change permafrost Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change permafrost Alaska |
op_relation |
http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1902912 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1902912 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac8be6 doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac8be6 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac8be6 |
container_title |
Environmental Research Letters |
container_volume |
17 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
094037 |
_version_ |
1772812586738253824 |