Assessing the Potential for Mobilization of Old Soil Carbon After Permafrost Thaw: A Synthesis of 14C Measurements From the Northern Permafrost Region
The magnitude of future emissions of greenhouse gases from the northern permafrost region depends crucially on the mineralization of soil organic carbon (SOC) that has accumulated over millennia in these perennially frozen soils. Many recent studies have used radiocarbon (14C) to quantify the releas...
Published in: | Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2020
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.23689/fidgeo-4005 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/8345 |
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ddc:551.9 permafrost thaw radiocarbon carbon dioxide methane dissolved organic carbon particulate organic carbon |
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ddc:551.9 permafrost thaw radiocarbon carbon dioxide methane dissolved organic carbon particulate organic carbon Estop‐Aragonés, Cristian Olefeldt, David Abbott, Benjamin W. Chanton, Jeffrey P. Czimczik, Claudia I. Dean, Joshua F. Egan, Jocelyn E. Gandois, Laure Garnett, Mark H. Hartley, Iain P. Hoyt, Alison Lupascu, Massimo Natali, Susan M. O'Donnell, Jonathan A. Raymond, Peter A. Tanentzap, Andrew J. Tank, Suzanne E. Schuur, Edward A. G. Turetsky, Merritt Anthony, Katey Walter 1 Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Canada 3 Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo UT USA 4 Department of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Science Florida State University Tallahassee FL USA 5 Department of Earth System Science University of California Irvine CA USA 6 School of Environmental Sciences University of Liverpool Liverpool UK 7 Department of Earth Sciences Dalhousie University Halifax Canada 8 Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement Université de Toulouse, CNRS Toulouse France 9 NEIF Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue East Kilbride UK 10 Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Exeter UK 11 Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena Germany 12 Department of Geography National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore 13 Woodwell Climate Research Center Falmouth MA USA 14 National Park Service, Arctic Network Anchorage AK USA 15 Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies New Haven CT USA 16 Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences University of Cambridge Cambridge UK 17 Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Canada 18 Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA 19 Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph Canada 20 Water and Environmental Research Center University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK USA Assessing the Potential for Mobilization of Old Soil Carbon After Permafrost Thaw: A Synthesis of 14C Measurements From the Northern Permafrost Region |
topic_facet |
ddc:551.9 permafrost thaw radiocarbon carbon dioxide methane dissolved organic carbon particulate organic carbon |
description |
The magnitude of future emissions of greenhouse gases from the northern permafrost region depends crucially on the mineralization of soil organic carbon (SOC) that has accumulated over millennia in these perennially frozen soils. Many recent studies have used radiocarbon (14C) to quantify the release of this “old” SOC as CO2 or CH4 to the atmosphere or as dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC) to surface waters. We compiled ~1,900 14C measurements from 51 sites in the northern permafrost region to assess the vulnerability of thawing SOC in tundra, forest, peatland, lake, and river ecosystems. We found that growing season soil 14C‐CO2 emissions generally had a modern (post‐1950s) signature, but that well‐drained, oxic soils had increased CO2 emissions derived from older sources following recent thaw. The age of CO2 and CH4 emitted from lakes depended primarily on the age and quantity of SOC in sediments and on the mode of emission, and indicated substantial losses of previously frozen SOC from actively expanding thermokarst lakes. Increased fluvial export of aged DOC and POC occurred from sites where permafrost thaw caused soil thermal erosion. There was limited evidence supporting release of previously frozen SOC as CO2, CH4, and DOC from thawing peatlands with anoxic soils. This synthesis thus suggests widespread but not universal release of permafrost SOC following thaw. We show that different definitions of “old” sources among studies hamper the comparison of vulnerability of permafrost SOC across ecosystems and disturbances. We also highlight opportunities for future 14C studies in the permafrost region. Key Points: We compiled ~1,900 14C measurements of CO2, CH4, DOC, and POC from the northern permafrost region. Old carbon release increases in thawed oxic soils (CO2), thermokarst lakes (CH4 and CO2), and headwaters with thermal erosion (DOC and POC). Simultaneous and year‐long 14C analyses of CO2, CH4, DOC, and POC are needed to assess the vulnerability of permafrost carbon across ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Estop‐Aragonés, Cristian Olefeldt, David Abbott, Benjamin W. Chanton, Jeffrey P. Czimczik, Claudia I. Dean, Joshua F. Egan, Jocelyn E. Gandois, Laure Garnett, Mark H. Hartley, Iain P. Hoyt, Alison Lupascu, Massimo Natali, Susan M. O'Donnell, Jonathan A. Raymond, Peter A. Tanentzap, Andrew J. Tank, Suzanne E. Schuur, Edward A. G. Turetsky, Merritt Anthony, Katey Walter 1 Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Canada 3 Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo UT USA 4 Department of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Science Florida State University Tallahassee FL USA 5 Department of Earth System Science University of California Irvine CA USA 6 School of Environmental Sciences University of Liverpool Liverpool UK 7 Department of Earth Sciences Dalhousie University Halifax Canada 8 Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement Université de Toulouse, CNRS Toulouse France 9 NEIF Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue East Kilbride UK 10 Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Exeter UK 11 Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena Germany 12 Department of Geography National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore 13 Woodwell Climate Research Center Falmouth MA USA 14 National Park Service, Arctic Network Anchorage AK USA 15 Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies New Haven CT USA 16 Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences University of Cambridge Cambridge UK 17 Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Canada 18 Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA 19 Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph Canada 20 Water and Environmental Research Center University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK USA |
author_facet |
Estop‐Aragonés, Cristian Olefeldt, David Abbott, Benjamin W. Chanton, Jeffrey P. Czimczik, Claudia I. Dean, Joshua F. Egan, Jocelyn E. Gandois, Laure Garnett, Mark H. Hartley, Iain P. Hoyt, Alison Lupascu, Massimo Natali, Susan M. O'Donnell, Jonathan A. Raymond, Peter A. Tanentzap, Andrew J. Tank, Suzanne E. Schuur, Edward A. G. Turetsky, Merritt Anthony, Katey Walter 1 Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Canada 3 Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo UT USA 4 Department of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Science Florida State University Tallahassee FL USA 5 Department of Earth System Science University of California Irvine CA USA 6 School of Environmental Sciences University of Liverpool Liverpool UK 7 Department of Earth Sciences Dalhousie University Halifax Canada 8 Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement Université de Toulouse, CNRS Toulouse France 9 NEIF Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue East Kilbride UK 10 Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Exeter UK 11 Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena Germany 12 Department of Geography National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore 13 Woodwell Climate Research Center Falmouth MA USA 14 National Park Service, Arctic Network Anchorage AK USA 15 Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies New Haven CT USA 16 Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences University of Cambridge Cambridge UK 17 Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Canada 18 Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA 19 Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph Canada 20 Water and Environmental Research Center University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK USA |
author_sort |
Estop‐Aragonés, Cristian |
title |
Assessing the Potential for Mobilization of Old Soil Carbon After Permafrost Thaw: A Synthesis of 14C Measurements From the Northern Permafrost Region |
title_short |
Assessing the Potential for Mobilization of Old Soil Carbon After Permafrost Thaw: A Synthesis of 14C Measurements From the Northern Permafrost Region |
title_full |
Assessing the Potential for Mobilization of Old Soil Carbon After Permafrost Thaw: A Synthesis of 14C Measurements From the Northern Permafrost Region |
title_fullStr |
Assessing the Potential for Mobilization of Old Soil Carbon After Permafrost Thaw: A Synthesis of 14C Measurements From the Northern Permafrost Region |
title_full_unstemmed |
Assessing the Potential for Mobilization of Old Soil Carbon After Permafrost Thaw: A Synthesis of 14C Measurements From the Northern Permafrost Region |
title_sort |
assessing the potential for mobilization of old soil carbon after permafrost thaw: a synthesis of 14c measurements from the northern permafrost region |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.23689/fidgeo-4005 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/8345 |
genre |
permafrost Thermokarst Tundra |
genre_facet |
permafrost Thermokarst Tundra |
op_relation |
doi:10.23689/fidgeo-4005 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/8345 |
op_rights |
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.23689/fidgeo-4005 |
container_title |
Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
container_volume |
34 |
container_issue |
9 |
_version_ |
1801380942301888512 |
spelling |
ftsubggeo:oai:e-docs.geo-leo.de:11858/8345 2024-06-09T07:48:56+00:00 Assessing the Potential for Mobilization of Old Soil Carbon After Permafrost Thaw: A Synthesis of 14C Measurements From the Northern Permafrost Region Estop‐Aragonés, Cristian Olefeldt, David Abbott, Benjamin W. Chanton, Jeffrey P. Czimczik, Claudia I. Dean, Joshua F. Egan, Jocelyn E. Gandois, Laure Garnett, Mark H. Hartley, Iain P. Hoyt, Alison Lupascu, Massimo Natali, Susan M. O'Donnell, Jonathan A. Raymond, Peter A. Tanentzap, Andrew J. Tank, Suzanne E. Schuur, Edward A. G. Turetsky, Merritt Anthony, Katey Walter 1 Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Canada 3 Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo UT USA 4 Department of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Science Florida State University Tallahassee FL USA 5 Department of Earth System Science University of California Irvine CA USA 6 School of Environmental Sciences University of Liverpool Liverpool UK 7 Department of Earth Sciences Dalhousie University Halifax Canada 8 Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement Université de Toulouse, CNRS Toulouse France 9 NEIF Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue East Kilbride UK 10 Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Exeter UK 11 Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena Germany 12 Department of Geography National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore 13 Woodwell Climate Research Center Falmouth MA USA 14 National Park Service, Arctic Network Anchorage AK USA 15 Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies New Haven CT USA 16 Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences University of Cambridge Cambridge UK 17 Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Canada 18 Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA 19 Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph Canada 20 Water and Environmental Research Center University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK USA 2020-09-14 https://doi.org/10.23689/fidgeo-4005 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/8345 eng eng doi:10.23689/fidgeo-4005 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/8345 This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. ddc:551.9 permafrost thaw radiocarbon carbon dioxide methane dissolved organic carbon particulate organic carbon doc-type:article 2020 ftsubggeo https://doi.org/10.23689/fidgeo-4005 2024-05-10T04:58:51Z The magnitude of future emissions of greenhouse gases from the northern permafrost region depends crucially on the mineralization of soil organic carbon (SOC) that has accumulated over millennia in these perennially frozen soils. Many recent studies have used radiocarbon (14C) to quantify the release of this “old” SOC as CO2 or CH4 to the atmosphere or as dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC) to surface waters. We compiled ~1,900 14C measurements from 51 sites in the northern permafrost region to assess the vulnerability of thawing SOC in tundra, forest, peatland, lake, and river ecosystems. We found that growing season soil 14C‐CO2 emissions generally had a modern (post‐1950s) signature, but that well‐drained, oxic soils had increased CO2 emissions derived from older sources following recent thaw. The age of CO2 and CH4 emitted from lakes depended primarily on the age and quantity of SOC in sediments and on the mode of emission, and indicated substantial losses of previously frozen SOC from actively expanding thermokarst lakes. Increased fluvial export of aged DOC and POC occurred from sites where permafrost thaw caused soil thermal erosion. There was limited evidence supporting release of previously frozen SOC as CO2, CH4, and DOC from thawing peatlands with anoxic soils. This synthesis thus suggests widespread but not universal release of permafrost SOC following thaw. We show that different definitions of “old” sources among studies hamper the comparison of vulnerability of permafrost SOC across ecosystems and disturbances. We also highlight opportunities for future 14C studies in the permafrost region. Key Points: We compiled ~1,900 14C measurements of CO2, CH4, DOC, and POC from the northern permafrost region. Old carbon release increases in thawed oxic soils (CO2), thermokarst lakes (CH4 and CO2), and headwaters with thermal erosion (DOC and POC). Simultaneous and year‐long 14C analyses of CO2, CH4, DOC, and POC are needed to assess the vulnerability of permafrost carbon across ... Article in Journal/Newspaper permafrost Thermokarst Tundra GEO-LEOe-docs (FID GEO) Global Biogeochemical Cycles 34 9 |