Grain size controls on cryoturbation and soil organic carbon density in permafrost‐affected soils

Palmtag, Juri; Kuhry, Peter

doi:10.1002/ppp.1975

Cited by 14 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(60 reference statements)

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“…The samples used in the incubation experiments were collected as part of landscape-level inventories carried out in the context of the European Union Changing Permafrost in the Arctic and its Global Effects in the 21st Century (EU PAGE21) and European Science Foundation Long-term Carbon Storage in Cryoturbated Arctic Soils (ESF CryoCarb) projects to assess total storage, landscape partitioning and vertical distribution of SOC stocks in study areas across the northern permafrost region. SOC storage data from these areas are presented in Weiss et al (2017) for Svalbard, Siewert et al (2016) for Lena Delta, Palmtag et al (2016) for Taymyr Peninsula, Palmtag et al (2015) for Lower Kolyma, Hugelius et al (2011) for Seida and Siewert (2018) for Stordalen Mire. The location of all study areas is shown in Fig.…”

Section: Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…C / N is a good indicator of degree of SOM decomposition in peat deposits (Kuhry and Vitt, 1996) and tundra upland soils (Ping et al, 2008). Recent soil carbon inventories in permafrost terrain have shown a clear decrease in soil C / N as a function of age and depth (e.g., Hugelius et al, 2010;Palmtag et al, 2015). However, C / N is also sensitive to the original botanical composition of the peat and soil litter.…”

Section: Geochemical Parameters and C-co 2 Production Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This can be expected, since organically enriched topsoil samples have low DBD, high %C and high C / N values compared to mineral layer soil samples. Also deeper soil samples, C-enriched through the process of cryoturbation (Bockheim, 2007), have generally relatively low DBD, high %C and high C / N values compared to adjacent mineral soil samples (e.g., Hugelius et al, 2010;Palmtag et al, 2015).…”

Section: Simple Geochemical Indicators Of Som Labilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This increased interest was fueled by a new and high estimate of the total soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in the northern permafrost region (Tarnocai et al, 2009), which was received with great interest by the Earth system science community (e.g., Ciais, 2009). Since this first new estimate was published, a multitude of new SOC inventories at the landscape level have been conducted across the circumpolar north (e.g., Hugelius and Kuhry, 2009;Hugelius et al, 2010;Horwath Burnham and Sletten, 2010;Palmtag et al, 2015;Gentsch et al, 2015a;Siewert et al, 2016). Recent studies have also focused on reevaluating the spatial extent and SOC storage of the Yedoma "Ice Complex" and alas deposits (Strauss et al, 2013;Walter-Anthony et al, 2014;Hugelius et al, 2016;Shmelev et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lability classification of soil organic matter in the northern permafrost region

et al. 2020

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Abstract. The large stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) in soils and deposits of the northern permafrost region are sensitive to global warming and permafrost thawing. The potential release of this carbon (C) as greenhouse gases to the atmosphere does not only depend on the total quantity of soil organic matter (SOM) affected by warming and thawing, but it also depends on its lability (i.e., the rate at which it will decay). In this study we develop a simple and robust classification scheme of SOM lability for the main types of soils and deposits in the northern permafrost region. The classification is based on widely available soil geochemical parameters and landscape unit classes, which makes it useful for upscaling to the entire northern permafrost region. We have analyzed the relationship between C content and C-CO2 production rates of soil samples in two different types of laboratory incubation experiments. In one experiment, ca. 240 soil samples from four study areas were incubated using the same protocol (at 5 ∘C, aerobically) over a period of 1 year. Here we present C release rates measured on day 343 of incubation. These long-term results are compared to those obtained from short-term incubations of ca. 1000 samples (at 12 ∘C, aerobically) from an additional three study areas. In these experiments, C-CO2 production rates were measured over the first 4 d of incubation. We have focused our analyses on the relationship between C-CO2 production per gram dry weight per day (µgC-CO2 gdw−1 d−1) and C content (%C of dry weight) in the samples, but we show that relationships are consistent when using C ∕ N ratios or different production units such as µgC per gram soil C per day (µgC-CO2 gC−1 d−1) or per cm3 of soil per day (µgC-CO2 cm−3 d−1). C content of the samples is positively correlated to C-CO2 production rates but explains less than 50 % of the observed variability when the full datasets are considered. A partitioning of the data into landscape units greatly reduces variance and provides consistent results between incubation experiments. These results indicate that relative SOM lability decreases in the order of Late Holocene eolian deposits to alluvial deposits and mineral soils (including peaty wetlands) to Pleistocene yedoma deposits to C-enriched pockets in cryoturbated soils to peat deposits. Thus, three of the most important SOC storage classes in the northern permafrost region (yedoma, cryoturbated soils and peatlands) show low relative SOM lability. Previous research has suggested that SOM in these pools is relatively undecomposed, and the reasons for the observed low rates of decomposition in our experiments need urgent attention if we want to better constrain the magnitude of the thawing permafrost carbon feedback on global warming.

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Section: Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geochemical Parameters and C-co 2 Production Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Simple Geochemical Indicators Of Som Labilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lability classification of soil organic matter in the northern permafrost region

et al. 2020

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“…Pleistocene Yedoma deposits, does not seem to imply higher SOM lability. These three SOC pools % of the reported SOC storage in the northern permafrost region Palmtag and Kuhry, 2018). Consequently, there is an urgent need for further research to understand these results in order to better constrain the thawing permafrost carbon feedback on global warming.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Lability classification of soil organic matter in the northern permafrost region

Kuhry¹,

Bárta²,

Blok³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Abstract. The large stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) in soils and deposits of the northern permafrost region are sensitive to global warming and permafrost thawing. The potential release of this carbon (C) as greenhouse gases to the atmosphere does not only depend on the total quantity of soil organic matter (SOM) affected by warming and thawing, but also on its lability (i.e. the rate at which it will decay). In this study we develop a simple and robust classification scheme of SOM lability for the main types of soils and deposits of the northern permafrost region. The classification is based on widely available soil geochemical parameters and landscape unit classes, which makes it useful for upscaling to the entire northern permafrost region. We have analyzed the relationship between C content and C-CO2 production rates of soil samples in two different types of laboratory incubation experiment. In one experiment, c. 240 soil samples from four study areas were incubated using the same protocol (at 5&#8201;&#176;C, aerobically) over a period of one year. Here we present C release rates measured on day 343 of incubation. These long-term results are compared to those obtained from short-term incubations of c. 1000 samples (at 12&#8201;&#176;C, aerobically) from an additional three study areas. In these experiments, C-CO2 production rates were measured over the first four days of incubation. We have focused our analyses on the relationship between C-CO2 production per gram dry weight per day (&#181;gC-CO2&#8201;gdw&#8722;1&#8201;d&#8722;1) and C content (%C of dry weight) in the samples, but show that relationships are consistent when using C&#8201;/&#8201;N ratios or different production units such as &#181;gC per gram soil C per day (&#181;gC-CO2&#8201;gC&#8722;1&#8201;d&#8722;1) or per cm<sup3 of soil per day (&#181;gC-CO2&#8201;cm3&#8722;1&#8201;d&#8722;1). C content of the samples is positively correlated to C-CO2 production rates but explains less than 50&#8201;% of the observed variability when the full datasets are considered. A partitioning of the data into landscape units greatly reduces variance and provides consistent results between incubation experiments. These results indicate that relative SOM lability decreases in the order: Late Holocene eolian deposits > alluvial deposits and mineral upland soils (including peaty wetlands) > Pleistocene Yedoma deposits > C-enriched pockets in cryoturbated soils > peat deposits. Thus, three of the most important SOC storage classes in the northern permafrost region (Yedoma, cryoturbated soils and peatlands) show low relative SOM lability. Previous research has suggested that SOM in these pools is relatively undecomposed and the reasons for the observed resistance to decomposition in our experiments needs urgent attention if we want to better constrain the magnitude of the thawing permafrost carbon feedback on global warming.

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Extracellular enzyme ratios reveal locality and horizon-specific carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus limitations in Arctic permafrost soils

et al. 2022

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Grain size controls on cryoturbation and soil organic carbon density in permafrost‐affected soils

Cited by 14 publications

References 24 publications

Lability classification of soil organic matter in the northern permafrost region

Lability classification of soil organic matter in the northern permafrost region

Lability classification of soil organic matter in the northern permafrost region

Extracellular enzyme ratios reveal locality and horizon-specific carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus limitations in Arctic permafrost soils

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