Rapid Vegetation Succession and Coupled Permafrost Dynamics in Arctic Thaw Ponds in the Siberian Lowland Tundra
Thermokarst features, such as thaw ponds, are hotspots for methane emissions in warming lowland tundra. Presently we lack quantitative knowledge on the formation rates of thaw ponds and subsequent vegetation succession, necessary to determine their net contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. This...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences |
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2020
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Online Access: | https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/8c933989-b6e0-437c-949f-07c0ac771507 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005618 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/8c933989-b6e0-437c-949f-07c0ac771507 http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088588475&partnerID=8YFLogxK http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85088588475&partnerID=8YFLogxK https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019JG005618 |
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ftvuamstcris:oai:research.vu.nl:publications/8c933989-b6e0-437c-949f-07c0ac771507 2024-04-28T08:04:31+00:00 Rapid Vegetation Succession and Coupled Permafrost Dynamics in Arctic Thaw Ponds in the Siberian Lowland Tundra Magnússon, Rúna Limpens, Juul van Huissteden, Jacobus Kleijn, David Maximov, Trofim C. Rotbarth, Ronny Sass-Klaassen, Ute Heijmans, Monique M.P.D. 2020-07 https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/8c933989-b6e0-437c-949f-07c0ac771507 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005618 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/8c933989-b6e0-437c-949f-07c0ac771507 http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088588475&partnerID=8YFLogxK http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85088588475&partnerID=8YFLogxK https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019JG005618 eng eng https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/8c933989-b6e0-437c-949f-07c0ac771507 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Magnússon , R , Limpens , J , van Huissteden , J , Kleijn , D , Maximov , T C , Rotbarth , R , Sass-Klaassen , U & Heijmans , M M P D 2020 , ' Rapid Vegetation Succession and Coupled Permafrost Dynamics in Arctic Thaw Ponds in the Siberian Lowland Tundra ' , Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences , vol. 125 , no. 7 , e2019JG005618 , pp. 1-20 . https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005618 thermokarst permafrost vegetation succession tundra north-eastern Siberia Betula nana /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action article 2020 ftvuamstcris https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005618 2024-04-09T02:59:45Z Thermokarst features, such as thaw ponds, are hotspots for methane emissions in warming lowland tundra. Presently we lack quantitative knowledge on the formation rates of thaw ponds and subsequent vegetation succession, necessary to determine their net contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. This study sets out to identify development trajectories and formation rates of small-scale (<100 m 2 ), shallow arctic thaw ponds in north-eastern Siberia. We selected 40 ponds of different age classes based on a time-series of satellite images and measured vegetation composition, microtopography, water table, and thaw depth in the field and measured age of colonizing shrubs in thaw ponds using dendrochronology. We found that young ponds are characterized by dead shrubs, while older ponds show rapid terrestrialization through colonization by sedges and Sphagnum moss. While dead shrubs and open water are associated with permafrost degradation (lower surface elevation, larger thaw depth), sites with sedge and in particular Sphagnum display indications of permafrost recovery. Recruitment of Betula nana on Sphagnum carpets in ponds indicates a potential recovery toward shrub-dominated vegetation, although it remains unclear if and on what timescale this occurs. Our results suggest that thaw ponds display potentially cyclic vegetation succession associated with permafrost degradation and recovery. Pond formation and initial colonization by sedges can occur on subdecadal timescales, suggesting rapid degradation and initial recovery of permafrost. The rates of formation and recovery of small-scale, shallow thaw ponds have implications for the greening/browning dynamics and carbon balance of this ecosystem. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Betula nana permafrost Thermokarst Tundra Siberia Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU): Research Portal Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 125 7 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU): Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftvuamstcris |
language |
English |
topic |
thermokarst permafrost vegetation succession tundra north-eastern Siberia Betula nana /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action |
spellingShingle |
thermokarst permafrost vegetation succession tundra north-eastern Siberia Betula nana /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action Magnússon, Rúna Limpens, Juul van Huissteden, Jacobus Kleijn, David Maximov, Trofim C. Rotbarth, Ronny Sass-Klaassen, Ute Heijmans, Monique M.P.D. Rapid Vegetation Succession and Coupled Permafrost Dynamics in Arctic Thaw Ponds in the Siberian Lowland Tundra |
topic_facet |
thermokarst permafrost vegetation succession tundra north-eastern Siberia Betula nana /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action |
description |
Thermokarst features, such as thaw ponds, are hotspots for methane emissions in warming lowland tundra. Presently we lack quantitative knowledge on the formation rates of thaw ponds and subsequent vegetation succession, necessary to determine their net contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. This study sets out to identify development trajectories and formation rates of small-scale (<100 m 2 ), shallow arctic thaw ponds in north-eastern Siberia. We selected 40 ponds of different age classes based on a time-series of satellite images and measured vegetation composition, microtopography, water table, and thaw depth in the field and measured age of colonizing shrubs in thaw ponds using dendrochronology. We found that young ponds are characterized by dead shrubs, while older ponds show rapid terrestrialization through colonization by sedges and Sphagnum moss. While dead shrubs and open water are associated with permafrost degradation (lower surface elevation, larger thaw depth), sites with sedge and in particular Sphagnum display indications of permafrost recovery. Recruitment of Betula nana on Sphagnum carpets in ponds indicates a potential recovery toward shrub-dominated vegetation, although it remains unclear if and on what timescale this occurs. Our results suggest that thaw ponds display potentially cyclic vegetation succession associated with permafrost degradation and recovery. Pond formation and initial colonization by sedges can occur on subdecadal timescales, suggesting rapid degradation and initial recovery of permafrost. The rates of formation and recovery of small-scale, shallow thaw ponds have implications for the greening/browning dynamics and carbon balance of this ecosystem. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Magnússon, Rúna Limpens, Juul van Huissteden, Jacobus Kleijn, David Maximov, Trofim C. Rotbarth, Ronny Sass-Klaassen, Ute Heijmans, Monique M.P.D. |
author_facet |
Magnússon, Rúna Limpens, Juul van Huissteden, Jacobus Kleijn, David Maximov, Trofim C. Rotbarth, Ronny Sass-Klaassen, Ute Heijmans, Monique M.P.D. |
author_sort |
Magnússon, Rúna |
title |
Rapid Vegetation Succession and Coupled Permafrost Dynamics in Arctic Thaw Ponds in the Siberian Lowland Tundra |
title_short |
Rapid Vegetation Succession and Coupled Permafrost Dynamics in Arctic Thaw Ponds in the Siberian Lowland Tundra |
title_full |
Rapid Vegetation Succession and Coupled Permafrost Dynamics in Arctic Thaw Ponds in the Siberian Lowland Tundra |
title_fullStr |
Rapid Vegetation Succession and Coupled Permafrost Dynamics in Arctic Thaw Ponds in the Siberian Lowland Tundra |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rapid Vegetation Succession and Coupled Permafrost Dynamics in Arctic Thaw Ponds in the Siberian Lowland Tundra |
title_sort |
rapid vegetation succession and coupled permafrost dynamics in arctic thaw ponds in the siberian lowland tundra |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/8c933989-b6e0-437c-949f-07c0ac771507 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005618 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/8c933989-b6e0-437c-949f-07c0ac771507 http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088588475&partnerID=8YFLogxK http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85088588475&partnerID=8YFLogxK https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019JG005618 |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Betula nana permafrost Thermokarst Tundra Siberia |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Betula nana permafrost Thermokarst Tundra Siberia |
op_source |
Magnússon , R , Limpens , J , van Huissteden , J , Kleijn , D , Maximov , T C , Rotbarth , R , Sass-Klaassen , U & Heijmans , M M P D 2020 , ' Rapid Vegetation Succession and Coupled Permafrost Dynamics in Arctic Thaw Ponds in the Siberian Lowland Tundra ' , Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences , vol. 125 , no. 7 , e2019JG005618 , pp. 1-20 . https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005618 |
op_relation |
https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/8c933989-b6e0-437c-949f-07c0ac771507 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005618 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences |
container_volume |
125 |
container_issue |
7 |
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1797575140394926080 |