Global Change and the Carbon Balance of Arctic Ecosystems

Shaver, Gaius R.; Billings, W. D.; Chapin, F. Stuart; Giblin, Anne E.; Nadelhoffer, Knute J.; Oechel, W. C.; Rastetter, Edward B.

doi:10.2307/1311862

Cited by 425 publications

(300 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

289

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Net primary productivity ( Table 1 of Oechel and Billings [ 1992]. This ratio was 0.83 for wet sedge tunHa and 0.67 for shrubland tundra; that is, both of these types of tundra are more productive than tussock tundra.…”

Section: Simulations and Data Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Carbon cycling in the Kuparuk basin: Plant production, carbon storage, and sensitivity to future changes

Hobbie¹,

Kwiatkowski²,

Rastetter³

et al. 1998

J. Geophys. Res.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The Marine Biological Laboratory General Ecosystem Model was calibrated for an arctic tussock tundra system using data from long-term observations and experiments at Toolik Lake, Alaska. These experiments include the effects of changes in temperature, light, CO2, and nutrients, so the model could be applied to five regions comprising the entire Kuparuk River basin. Net primary production, averaged for the entire basin, was 92 g C m -2 yr-'. A 150 year simulation of carbon storage under a doubling. of CO2 (slow ramp-up) and a temperature increase of 3.5øC gave an estimate of +400 g C m -•-when soil moisture increased and +500 g C m -2 when soil moisture decreased. Drier soils stimulated decomposition producing an increase in nitrogen availability; the increased N led to increased net primary production. If this result is applicable to other arctic ecosystems, then it is unlikely that warming will enhance carbon loss to the atmosphere to further enhance warming.

show abstract

Section: Simulations and Data Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…To predict which of these opposing series of processes will dominate, the interactions of the carbon and nitrogen cycle must be understood [Billings et al, 1984;Shaver et al, 1992]. There are three main types of interactions between the carbon and the nitrogen cycles that impact the source versus sink question.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon cycling in the Kuparuk basin: Plant production, carbon storage, and sensitivity to future changes

Hobbie¹,

Kwiatkowski²,

Rastetter³

et al. 1998

J. Geophys. Res.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Effects of change in terrestrial nutrient availability could cascade among aquatic nutrient and energy budgets, aquatic productivity, and biodiversity at rates that are difficult to predict (Shaver et al, 1992). Effects of changes in terrestrial nutrient availability will likely be accompanied by change in annual soil thaw depths (soil active layer) which in turn will alter subsurface hydrochemical processes (Woo, 1986).…”

Section: Treeline Advance Into Arctic Tundramentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear dynamics in ecosystem response to climatic change: Case studies and policy implications

Burkett

Wilcox

Stottlemyer

et al. 2005

Ecological Complexity

233

175

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many biological, hydrological, and geological processes are interactively linked in ecosystems. These ecological phenomena normally vary within bounded ranges, but rapid, nonlinear changes to markedly different conditions can be triggered by even small differences if threshold values are exceeded. Intrinsic and extrinsic ecological thresholds can lead to effects that cascade among systems, precluding accurate modeling and prediction of system response to climate change. Ten case studies from North America illustrate how changes in climate can lead to rapid, threshold-type responses within ecological communities; the case studies also highlight the role of human activities that alter the rate or direction of system response to climate change. Understanding and anticipating nonlinear dynamics are important aspects of adaptation planning since responses of biological resources to changes in the physical climate system are not necessarily proportional and sometimes, as in the case of complex ecological systems, inherently nonlinear. Published by Elsevier B.V.

show abstract

“…1990;Maxwell 1992), prompting concerns that the role of Arctic ecosystems might consequently shift from a store (or sink) to a source of greenhouse gases (CO 2 and CH 4 ) (Shaver et al . 1992;Chapin et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term sensitivity of a High Arctic wetland to Holocene climate change

Ellis

Rochefort

2005

Journal of Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary 1The response of peat-rich permafrost soils to human-induced climate change may be especially important in modifying the global C-flux. We examined the Holocene developmental record of a High Arctic peat-forming wetland to investigate its sensitivity to past climate change and aid understanding of the likely effects of future climate warming on high-latitude ecosystems. 2 The microhabitat of mosses was quantified in the present-day polygon-complex at Bylot Island (73 ° N, 80 ° W) and used to interpret the radiocarbon-dated macrofossil record of three cores, comprising c. 3500 years of wetland development. Recurrent wet and dry phases in the reconstructed palaeohydrological record indicated pronounced temporal variability. Wet and dry phases were compared between cores and with palaeoclimatic proxy values, measured as percentage melt and δ 18 O in nearby ice cores. 3 Periodic wet and dry phases appear unrelated to past climate over c. 50% of the combined stratigraphic records, and are attributable instead to geomorphological mechanisms. At other times, association of wet and dry phases with significantly lower and higher values of percentage melt and δ 18 O indicate a possible effect of past climate change on polygon hydrology and vegetation, although inconsistencies between cores suggest that local geomorphological processes continued to modify a regional climatic effect. However, during a period incorporating the Little Ice Age ( c. 305-530 cal. years  ), reconstructed moisture and vegetation change is pronounced and consistent among all three cores. 4 The results provide strong evidence for the sensitivity of a High Arctic terrestrial ecosystem to past climate change during the Holocene. The estimated magnitude of changes in soil moisture between wet and dry phases is sufficient to imply recurrent shifts in wetland function, periodically impacted upon by pronounced climatic variability, although controlled principally by autogenic processes. The structure and function of such wetlands may therefore be susceptible to predicted, human-induced climate warming.

show abstract

Global Change and the Carbon Balance of Arctic Ecosystems

Cited by 425 publications

References 41 publications

Carbon cycling in the Kuparuk basin: Plant production, carbon storage, and sensitivity to future changes

Carbon cycling in the Kuparuk basin: Plant production, carbon storage, and sensitivity to future changes

Nonlinear dynamics in ecosystem response to climatic change: Case studies and policy implications

Long‐term sensitivity of a High Arctic wetland to Holocene climate change

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About