Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source
Arctic tundra ecosystems are warming almost twice as fast as the global average. Permafrost thaw and the resulting release of greenhouse gases from decomposing soil organic carbon have the potential to accelerate climate warming. In recent decades, Arctic tundra ecosystems have changed rapidly, incl...
Published in: | Nature Climate Change |
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2015
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Online Access: | https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/322a72c8-f91c-462f-84b5-4958aeeea579 https://doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE2446 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/322a72c8-f91c-462f-84b5-4958aeeea579 |
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ftvuamstcris:oai:research.vu.nl:publications/322a72c8-f91c-462f-84b5-4958aeeea579 2024-09-09T19:23:17+00:00 Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source Nauta, A.L. Heijmans, M.M.P.D. Blok, D. Limpens, J. Elberling, B. Gallagher, A. Li, B. Petrov, R.E. Maximov, T.C. van Huissteden, J. Berendse, F. 2015 https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/322a72c8-f91c-462f-84b5-4958aeeea579 https://doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE2446 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/322a72c8-f91c-462f-84b5-4958aeeea579 eng eng https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/322a72c8-f91c-462f-84b5-4958aeeea579 info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Nauta , A L , Heijmans , M M P D , Blok , D , Limpens , J , Elberling , B , Gallagher , A , Li , B , Petrov , R E , Maximov , T C , van Huissteden , J & Berendse , F 2015 , ' Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source ' , Nature Climate Change . https://doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE2446 /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action article 2015 ftvuamstcris https://doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE244610.1038/nclimate2446 2024-08-22T00:13:33Z Arctic tundra ecosystems are warming almost twice as fast as the global average. Permafrost thaw and the resulting release of greenhouse gases from decomposing soil organic carbon have the potential to accelerate climate warming. In recent decades, Arctic tundra ecosystems have changed rapidly, including expansion of woody vegetation, in response to changing climate conditions. How such vegetation changes contribute to stabilization or destabilization of the permafrost is unknown. Here we present six years of field observations in a shrub removal experiment at a Siberian tundra site. Removing the shrub part of the vegetation initiated thawing of ice-rich permafrost, resulting in collapse of the originally elevated shrub patches into waterlogged depressions within five years. This thaw pond development shifted the plots from a methane sink into a methane source. The results of our field experiment demonstrate the importance of the vegetation cover for protection of the massive carbon reservoirs stored in the permafrost and illustrate the strong vulnerability of these tundra ecosystems to perturbations. If permafrost thawing can more frequently trigger such local permafrost collapse, methane-emitting wet depressions could become more abundant in the lowland tundra landscape, at the cost of permafrost-stabilizing low shrub vegetation. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Ice permafrost Tundra Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU): Research Portal Arctic Nature Climate Change 5 1 67 70 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU): Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftvuamstcris |
language |
English |
topic |
/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action |
spellingShingle |
/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action Nauta, A.L. Heijmans, M.M.P.D. Blok, D. Limpens, J. Elberling, B. Gallagher, A. Li, B. Petrov, R.E. Maximov, T.C. van Huissteden, J. Berendse, F. Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source |
topic_facet |
/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action |
description |
Arctic tundra ecosystems are warming almost twice as fast as the global average. Permafrost thaw and the resulting release of greenhouse gases from decomposing soil organic carbon have the potential to accelerate climate warming. In recent decades, Arctic tundra ecosystems have changed rapidly, including expansion of woody vegetation, in response to changing climate conditions. How such vegetation changes contribute to stabilization or destabilization of the permafrost is unknown. Here we present six years of field observations in a shrub removal experiment at a Siberian tundra site. Removing the shrub part of the vegetation initiated thawing of ice-rich permafrost, resulting in collapse of the originally elevated shrub patches into waterlogged depressions within five years. This thaw pond development shifted the plots from a methane sink into a methane source. The results of our field experiment demonstrate the importance of the vegetation cover for protection of the massive carbon reservoirs stored in the permafrost and illustrate the strong vulnerability of these tundra ecosystems to perturbations. If permafrost thawing can more frequently trigger such local permafrost collapse, methane-emitting wet depressions could become more abundant in the lowland tundra landscape, at the cost of permafrost-stabilizing low shrub vegetation. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Nauta, A.L. Heijmans, M.M.P.D. Blok, D. Limpens, J. Elberling, B. Gallagher, A. Li, B. Petrov, R.E. Maximov, T.C. van Huissteden, J. Berendse, F. |
author_facet |
Nauta, A.L. Heijmans, M.M.P.D. Blok, D. Limpens, J. Elberling, B. Gallagher, A. Li, B. Petrov, R.E. Maximov, T.C. van Huissteden, J. Berendse, F. |
author_sort |
Nauta, A.L. |
title |
Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source |
title_short |
Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source |
title_full |
Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source |
title_fullStr |
Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source |
title_full_unstemmed |
Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source |
title_sort |
permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/322a72c8-f91c-462f-84b5-4958aeeea579 https://doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE2446 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/322a72c8-f91c-462f-84b5-4958aeeea579 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Ice permafrost Tundra |
genre_facet |
Arctic Ice permafrost Tundra |
op_source |
Nauta , A L , Heijmans , M M P D , Blok , D , Limpens , J , Elberling , B , Gallagher , A , Li , B , Petrov , R E , Maximov , T C , van Huissteden , J & Berendse , F 2015 , ' Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem into methane source ' , Nature Climate Change . https://doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE2446 |
op_relation |
https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/322a72c8-f91c-462f-84b5-4958aeeea579 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE244610.1038/nclimate2446 |
container_title |
Nature Climate Change |
container_volume |
5 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
67 |
op_container_end_page |
70 |
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1809763688548139008 |