A Third of Organic Carbon Is Mineral Bound in Permafrost Sediments Exposed by the World's Largest Thaw Slump, Batagay, Siberia

Organic carbon (OC) in permafrost interacts with the mineral fraction of soil and sediments, representing < 1% to ~80% of the total OC pool. Quantifying the nature and controls of mineral–OC interactions is therefore crucial for realistic assessments of permafrost-carbon-climate feedbacks, es...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
Main Authors: Thomas, Maxime, Jongejans, Loeka L., Strauss, Jens, Vermylen, Chloé, Calcus, Sacha, Opel, Thomas, Kizyakov, Alexander, Wetterich, Sebastian, Grosse, Guido, Opfergelt, Sophie
Other Authors: UCL - SST/ELI/ELIE - Environmental Sciences
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024
Subjects:
thermo-erosion
mineral-organic carbon interactions
Batagay
retrogressive thaw slumps
iron
headwall
Ice
permafrost
Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
Siberia
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/289112
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2230
Description
Summary:Organic carbon (OC) in permafrost interacts with the mineral fraction of soil and sediments, representing < 1% to ~80% of the total OC pool. Quantifying the nature and controls of mineral–OC interactions is therefore crucial for realistic assessments of permafrost-carbon-climate feedbacks, especially in ice-rich regions facing rapid thaw and the development of thermo-erosion landforms. Here, we analyzed sediment samples from the Batagay megaslump in East Siberia, and we present total element concentrations, mineralogy, and mineral–OC interactions in its different stratigraphic units. Our findings indicate that up to 34 ± 8% of the OC pool interacts with mineral surfaces or elements. Interglacial deposits exhibit enhanced OC–mineral interactions, where OC has undergone greater microbial transformation and has likely low degradability. We provide a first-order estimate of ~12,000 tons of OC mobilized annually downslope of the headwall (i.e., the approximate mass of 30 large aircrafts), with a maximum of 38% interacting with OC via complexation with metals or associations to poorly crystalline iron oxides. These data imply that over one-third of the OC exposed by the slump is not readily available for mineralization, potentially leading to prolonged OC residence time in soil and sediments under stable physicochemical conditions.

Similar Items