Is the subarctic landscape still a carbon sink? Evidence from a detailed catchment balance

Lundin, E.; Klaminder, Jonatan; Giesler, Reiner; Persson, Andreas; Olefeldt, David; Heliasz, Michal; Christensen, Torben R.; Karlsson, Jan

doi:10.1002/2015gl066970

Cited by 43 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…The concentrations (mean ± standard error) of CO 2 (467 ± 21 μM, n = 52) and CH 4 (24 ± 3 μM, n = 52) are approximately an order of magnitude higher than the mean values reported for thaw ponds in northern Canada 4 (means = 34 and 2 μM for CO 2 and CH 4 , respectively), but are in the same range as permafrost ponds in west-central Siberia 19 (range = 70–770 and 0.6–48 μM for CO 2 and CH 4 , respectively). The average CO 2 exchange measured from the ponds in our study (279 ± 58 mmol C m −2 d −1 ) was greater than exchanges (max = 114 mmol C m −2 d −1 ) reported from thaw ponds in northern Canada 7 and from lakes (average value 15 mmol C m −2 d −1 ) in the same catchment as in this study 20 . The mean diffusive CH 4 exchange (7 ± 0.2 mmol C m −2 d −1 ) in the ponds was among the highest diffusive CH 4 fluxes reported, but was the same magnitude as found in ponds in eastern Siberia (average = 4 mmol C m −2 d −1 ) 14 .…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 76%

Emissions from thaw ponds largely offset the carbon sink of northern permafrost wetlands

Kuhn

Lundin

Giesler

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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Northern regions have received considerable attention not only because the effects of climate change are amplified at high latitudes but also because this region holds vast amounts of carbon (C) stored in permafrost. These carbon stocks are vulnerable to warming temperatures and increased permafrost thaw and the breakdown and release of soil C in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). The majority of research has focused on quantifying and upscaling the effects of thaw on CO2 and CH4 emissions from terrestrial systems. However, small ponds formed in permafrost wetlands following thawing have been recognized as hotspots for C emissions. Here, we examined the importance of small ponds for C fluxes in two permafrost wetland ecosystems in northern Sweden. Detailed flux estimates of thaw ponds during the growing season show that ponds emit, on average (±SD), 279 ± 415 and 7 ± 11 mmol C m−2 d−1 of CO2 and CH4, respectively. Importantly, addition of pond emissions to the total C budget of the wetland decreases the C sink by ~39%. Our results emphasize the need for integrated research linking C cycling on land and in water in order to make correct assessments of contemporary C balances.

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 76%

Emissions from thaw ponds largely offset the carbon sink of northern permafrost wetlands

Kuhn

Lundin

Giesler

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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“…Sampling campaigns were conducted from February to August 2015, focusing on hydrology as a complement to ongoing biogeochemical cycling investigations and monitoring in the region (Giesler et al 2014;Lundin et al 2016). The campaigns focused on assessing isotopic composition and variability across the catchment inputs as snow and rain, and catchment outputs through the stream water.…”

Section: Sample Collection and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons learned from monitoring the stable water isotopic variability in precipitation and streamflow across a snow-dominated subarctic catchment

Lyon

Ploum

Velde³

et al. 2018

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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Lessons learned from monitoring the stable water isotopic variability in precipitation and streamflow across a snow-dominated subarctic catchment Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine research, 50(1): e1454778 https://doi.org/10. 1080/15230430.2018.1454778 Access to the published version may require subscription. N.B. When citing this work, cite the original published paper. This empirical study explores shifts in stable water isotopic composition for a subarctic catchment located in northern Sweden as it transitions from spring freshet to summer low flows. Relative changes in the isotopic composition of streamflow across the main catchment and fifteen nested subcatchments are characterized in relation to the isotopic composition of precipitation. With our sampling campaign, we explore the variability in stream-water isotopic composition that originates from precipitation as the input shifts from snow to rain and as landscape flow pathways change across scales. The isotopic similarity of high-elevation snowpack water and early season rainfall water seen through our sampling scheme made it difficult to truly isolate the impact of seasonal precipitation phase change on stream-water isotopic response. This highlights the need to explicitly consider the complexity of arctic and alpine landscapes when designing sampling strategies to characterize hydrological variability via stable water isotopes. Results show a potential influence of evaporation and source water mixing both spatially (variations with elevation) and temporally (variations from post-freshet to summer flows) on the composition of stream water across Miellajokka. As such, the data collected in this empirical study allow for initial conceptualization of the relative importance of, for example, hydrological connectivity within this mountainous, subarctic landscape. ARTICLE HISTORY

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“…While the studied palsa and other permafrost peatlands likely show larger in situ C uptake than we observed here due to better plant performance under field conditions, the vegetation on the mesocosms was active throughout the experiment, and CO 2 fluxes were showing diurnal variation following the established light cycle (Figures S16–S17). Additionally, permafrost peatlands and other Arctic ecosystems frequently show net C losses during summer, and increasingly so as soils continue to warm (Grogan & Chapin, ; Lund et al, ; Lundin et al, ; Nykänen et al, ; Oechel et al, ; Voigt, Lamprecht et al, ; Zamolodchikov, Karelin, & Ivaschenko, ). Hence, recent climate change has weakened the cooling effect northern peatlands have exerted on our climate for the past ~10,000 years (Frolking & Roulet, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem carbon response of an Arctic peatland to simulated permafrost thaw

Voigt

Marushchak

Mastepanov

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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Permafrost peatlands are biogeochemical hot spots in the Arctic as they store vast amounts of carbon. Permafrost thaw could release part of these long‐term immobile carbon stocks as the greenhouse gases (GHGs) carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) to the atmosphere, but how much, at which time‐span and as which gaseous carbon species is still highly uncertain. Here we assess the effect of permafrost thaw on GHG dynamics under different moisture and vegetation scenarios in a permafrost peatland. A novel experimental approach using intact plant–soil systems (mesocosms) allowed us to simulate permafrost thaw under near‐natural conditions. We monitored GHG flux dynamics via high‐resolution flow‐through gas measurements, combined with detailed monitoring of soil GHG concentration dynamics, yielding insights into GHG production and consumption potential of individual soil layers. Thawing the upper 10–15 cm of permafrost under dry conditions increased CO2 emissions to the atmosphere (without vegetation: 0.74 ± 0.49 vs. 0.84 ± 0.60 g CO2–C m−2 day−1; with vegetation: 1.20 ± 0.50 vs. 1.32 ± 0.60 g CO2–C m−2 day−1, mean ± SD, pre‐ and post‐thaw, respectively). Radiocarbon dating (14C) of respired CO2, supported by an independent curve‐fitting approach, showed a clear contribution (9%–27%) of old carbon to this enhanced post‐thaw CO2 flux. Elevated concentrations of CO2, CH4, and dissolved organic carbon at depth indicated not just pulse emissions during the thawing process, but sustained decomposition and GHG production from thawed permafrost. Oxidation of CH4 in the peat column, however, prevented CH4 release to the atmosphere. Importantly, we show here that, under dry conditions, peatlands strengthen the permafrost–carbon feedback by adding to the atmospheric CO2 burden post‐thaw. However, as long as the water table remains low, our results reveal a strong CH4 sink capacity in these types of Arctic ecosystems pre‐ and post‐thaw, with the potential to compensate part of the permafrost CO2 losses over longer timescales.

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Is the subarctic landscape still a carbon sink? Evidence from a detailed catchment balance

Cited by 43 publications

References 61 publications

Emissions from thaw ponds largely offset the carbon sink of northern permafrost wetlands

Emissions from thaw ponds largely offset the carbon sink of northern permafrost wetlands

Lessons learned from monitoring the stable water isotopic variability in precipitation and streamflow across a snow-dominated subarctic catchment

Ecosystem carbon response of an Arctic peatland to simulated permafrost thaw

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