Long‐term C accumulation and total C stocks in boreal lakes in northern Québec

Ferland, Marie-Ève; Giorgio, Paul A. del; Teodoru, Cristian R.; Prairie, Yves T.

doi:10.1029/2011gb004241

Cited by 88 publications

(114 citation statements)

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“…10 km 2 ). Similarly, Ferland et al (2012) observed the greatest areal carbon stocks and accumulation rates in the sediments of lake size class 0.1-1 km 2 in 13 boreal lakes in James Bay region in northern Quebec, Canada. In our study region the emission to accumulation ratio (E : A) was lower in the three small and intermediate-sized lakes (Valkea-Kotinen, Alinen Rautjä rvi, and Ekojä rvi, E : A 10-17) than in the two large lakes (Kuohijä rvi and Kukkia, E : A 32-44, Einola et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lake‐size dependent physical forcing drives carbon dioxide and methane effluxes from lakes in a boreal landscape

Kankaala

Huotari

Tulonen

et al. 2013

Limnology & Oceanography

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We studied the concentrations and diffusive fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) in 12 lakes in a size range of 0.004-35 km 2 and mean total organic carbon (TOC) range of 6-25 mg L 21 , located in the southern boreal area of Finland. TOC, mainly originating from the catchment, was the best predictor of concentrations and areal CO 2 effluxes in the whole lake-area range, but among the lakes with an area , 1 km 2 having an anoxic hypolimnion during summer, the areal effluxes were also related to lake size and an index of turbulence. The concentration and areal effluxes of CH 4 from the lakes' pelagic zones were related more closely to lake-sizerelated water column stability and turbulent mixing than directly to TOC. The total regional flux estimate from 619 lakes in the region of 1600 km 2 showed that seven lakes with an area of 10-50 km 2 were responsible for 57-69% of the pelagic CO 2 effluxes and about half of the sum of pelagic and littoral CH 4 effluxes from the lakes. The proportion accounted for by the small lakes (area , 1 km 2 ) in the gas effluxes was 1.4-2.1 times higher, 18-26% for CO 2 and 21-26% for CH 4 , than their areal proportion (12.5%) in the landscape, although numerically these small lakes predominate in the whole lake population (96%).Most inland waters worldwide have been shown to be supersaturated with the greenhouse gases (GHG) carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ), and thus release these gases to the atmosphere (Cole et al. 1994;Bastviken et al. 2004). The GHG supersaturation indicates that freshwater ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon cycle by mineralizing and/or accumulating terrestrial organic carbon (Tranvik et al. 2009). By applying Pareto distribution analysis, Downing et al. (2006) estimated that . 99% of the world's lakes have an area , 1 km 2 and these small lakes form , 43% of the global lake area. Thus, in many recent analyses of lake-rich landscapes, the role of small lakes has received much attention, because the small headwater lakes are more typically characterized by higher concentrations of allochthonous organic carbon than the larger lowland lakes (Xenopoulos et al. 2003;Hanson et al. 2007;Einola et al. 2011). In the boreal region, high fluxes of total organic carbon (TOC), originating mainly from peatland and forested catchments (Kortelainen 1993;Humborg et al. 2010), are among the most important factors contributing to CO 2 supersaturation and oxygen consumption in the lake water columns and sediments (Salonen et al. 1983;Larsen et al. 2011). As a result of anaerobic decomposition of organic matter, high concentrations of CH 4 are typical in eutrophic lakes with an anoxic hypolimnion but also in sheltered forest lakes, which likewise develop marked and prolonged hypolimnetic anoxia. It has been suggested that spring and fall mixing periods are generally the periods of the greatest effluxes of GHG into the atmosphere. However, rainy periods may also be followed by efflux peaks , and thus precipitation influences the inte...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lake‐size dependent physical forcing drives carbon dioxide and methane effluxes from lakes in a boreal landscape

Kankaala

Huotari

Tulonen

et al. 2013

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…The water–sediment interface was collected using a Kajak–Brinkhurst gravity corer, except for Lake Marie‐Eve [named L‐40 in Ferland et al . ()]. Sedimentary sequences from the five southernmost lakes have already been published (Carcaillet et al .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term fire history in northern Quebec: implications for the northern limit of commercial forests

Asselin

Finsinger

Hély

et al. 2014

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary1. Fire frequency is expected to increase in boreal forests over the next century owing to climate change. In Quebec (Canada), the location of the northern limit of commercial forests (c. 51°N) was established in 2000 taking into account mainly forest productivity and fire risk. The location of the limit is currently under debate and is being re-evaluated based on a more extensive survey of the territory. We characterized the natural variability of fire occurrence (FO) in the area surrounding the northern limit, and these results are a useful contribution to discussions on the re-evaluation of its location. 2. Regional FO over the last 7000 years was reconstructed from sedimentary charcoal records from 11 lakes located in three regions surrounding the northern limit (i.e. south, north and near the limit). Holocene simulated precipitation and temperature from a general circulation model (GCM) were used to identify the long-term interactions between climate and fire. 3. Fire histories displayed similar trends in all three regions, with FO increasing from 7000 calibrated years before present (cal. years BP) to reach a maximum at 4000-3000 cal. years BP, before decreasing during the late-Holocene. This trend matches the simulated changes in climate, characterized by drier and warmer conditions between 7000 and 3500 cal. years BP and cooler and moister conditions between 3500 and 0 cal. years BP. 4. Northern ecosystems displayed higher sensitivity to climate change. The natural variability of FO was narrower in the southern region compared with the limit and northern regions. An abrupt decrease in FO was recorded close to and north of the limit at 3000 cal. years BP, whereas the decrease was more gradual in the south. 5. Synthesis and applications. We reconstructed the natural variability in fire activity over the last 7000 years near the current location of the northern limit of commercial forests in Quebec. Fire occurrences were more sensitive to climate change near to and north of the limit of commercial forestry. In the context of predicted increase in fire activity, the lower resilience of northern forests advocates against a northern repositioning of the limit of commercial forests.

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“…Tranvik et al (2009) project that carbon burial in polar lakes will decrease whereas carbon burial in boreal lakes will increase. This review, however, points out that other factors such as permafrost type (yedoma vs. non-yedoma; Walter or lake shape (small and deep vs. large and shallow; Ferland et al, 2012) strongly affect burial efficiencies and may overrule the distinction between boreal and polar regions. More research is needed to shed light on these processes.…”

Section: Lake Carbon Burialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reviews and syntheses: Effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic ecosystems

et al. 2015

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Abstract. The Arctic is a water-rich region, with freshwater systems covering about 16 % of the northern permafrost landscape. Permafrost thaw creates new freshwater ecosystems, while at the same time modifying the existing lakes, streams, and rivers that are impacted by thaw. Here, we describe the current state of knowledge regarding how permafrost thaw affects lentic (still) and lotic (moving) systems, exploring the effects of both thermokarst (thawing and collapse of ice-rich permafrost) and deepening of the active layer (the surface soil layer that thaws and refreezes each year). Within thermokarst, we further differentiate between the effects of thermokarst in lowland areas vs. that on hillslopes. For almost all of the processes that we explore, the effects of thaw vary regionally, and between lake and stream systems. Much of this regional variation is caused by differences in ground ice content, topography, soil type, and permafrost coverage. Together, these modifying factors determine (i) the degree to which permafrost thaw manifests as thermokarst, (ii) whether thermokarst leads to slumping or the formation of thermokarst lakes, and (iii) the manner in which constituent delivery to freshwater systems is altered by thaw. Differences in thaw-enabled constituent delivery can Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. J. E. Vonk et al.: Effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic ecosystemsbe considerable, with these modifying factors determining, for example, the balance between delivery of particulate vs. dissolved constituents, and inorganic vs. organic materials. Changes in the composition of thaw-impacted waters, coupled with changes in lake morphology, can strongly affect the physical and optical properties of thermokarst lakes. The ecology of thaw-impacted lakes and streams is also likely to change; these systems have unique microbiological communities, and show differences in respiration, primary production, and food web structure that are largely driven by differences in sediment, dissolved organic matter, and nutrient delivery. The degree to which thaw enables the delivery of dissolved vs. particulate organic matter, coupled with the composition of that organic matter and the morphology and stratification characteristics of recipient systems will play an important role in determining the balance between the release of organic matter as greenhouse gases (CO 2 and CH 4 ), its burial in sediments, and its loss downstream. The magnitude of thaw impacts on northern aquatic ecosystems is increasing, as is the prevalence of thaw-impacted lakes and streams. There is therefore an urgent need to quantify how permafrost thaw is affecting aquatic ecosystems across diverse Arctic landscapes, and the implications of this change for further climate warming.

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Long‐term C accumulation and total C stocks in boreal lakes in northern Québec

Cited by 88 publications

References 83 publications

Lake‐size dependent physical forcing drives carbon dioxide and methane effluxes from lakes in a boreal landscape

Lake‐size dependent physical forcing drives carbon dioxide and methane effluxes from lakes in a boreal landscape

Long‐term fire history in northern Quebec: implications for the northern limit of commercial forests

Reviews and syntheses: Effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic ecosystems

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