Standardized monitoring of permafrost thaw: a user-friendly, multiparameter protocol

Boike, Julia; Martin, Miss Julia; Zwieback, Simon; Althuizen, Inge H. J.; Anselm, Norbert; Cai, Lei; Coulombe, Stephanie; Lee, Hanna; Liljedahl, Prof.Dr. Anna K.; Schneebeli, Martin; Sjöberg, Ylva; Smith, Noah; Smith, Sharon L.; Streletskiy, D. A.; Stuenzi, Miss Simone Maria; Westermann, Prof.Dr. Sebastian; Wilcox, Evan J.

doi:10.1139/as-2021-0007

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(60 reference statements)

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“…The soil profile results were digitized and mapped to inform GPR and ERT profile interpretation. Thaw depths were measured and recorded at regular spacing of approximately 4 m along the main ERT and GPR transect by manual thaw probing following standard thaw probing procedures …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thaw depths were measured and recorded at regular spacing of approximately 4 m along the main ERT and GPR transect by manual thaw probing following standard thaw probing procedures. 41 A thermistor array was installed in the Imnavait watershed study area 1 m south from the main three soil pit locations (Figure 1). Temperature sensors were set at 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 cm depths.…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Iron Oxidation–Reduction Processes in Warming Permafrost Soils and Surface Waters Expose a Seasonally Rusting Arctic Watershed

Barker,

Sullivan,

Baxter

et al. 2023

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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Landscape-scale changes in the Arctic as a result of climate change affect the soil thermal regime and impact the depth to permafrost in vulnerable tundra watersheds. When top-down thaw of permafrost occurs, oxygen and porewaters infiltrate deeper in the soil column exposing fresh, previously frozen material and altering redox conditions that govern the mobility of geochemical constituents. Redox conditions play a critical role in the carbon cycle processes that link permafrost carbon stocks with potential feedbacks to climate warming. As such, there remains a gap in knowledge understanding how redox stratifications in thawing permafrost impact the geochemistry of watersheds in response to climate change and how investigations into redox may be scaled by coupling extensive geophysical mapping techniques. In this study, we collected soils and soil porewaters from three soil pits and surface water samples from an Arctic watershed on the North Slope of Alaska and analyzed for trace metals iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) and Fe oxidation state using bulk and microscale techniques, including X-ray synchrotron spectroscopy. We also used geophysical mapping and soil thermistors to measure active layer depths across the watershed to relate accelerating permafrost thaw to watershed geochemistry. We found that Fe(II) and Fe(III) co-occur in the soils, porewaters, and surface waters of Imnavait Creek watershed with Fe(II) comprising up to 37% of the total Fe concentrations in the 40−60 cm soil depth and up to 17% in the 60−80 cm soil depth. In comparison to the surface (0−20 cm) and deeper in the permafrost (80−100 cm), Fe(II) was found to be enriched in the soils at the permafrost-active layer transition zone in two of the three soil pits and that translated to mobilization of Fe(II) to porewaters upon thaw at 40−60 cm, contributing up to 72% of the total Fe. Further, Fe(II) was found to be mobilized in all porewater samples from 60 to 100 cm depth and comprised 56−70% of the total Fe. In the surface water, Fe and Mn concentrations were linked to seasonality with higher concentrations coinciding with the deepest yearly extent of the active layer thaw progression. Overall, we found evidence that Fe and Mn could be useful as geochemical indicators of permafrost thaw and release of Fe(II) from thawing permafrost and further oxidation to Fe(III) could translate to a higher degree of seasonal rusting coinciding with the warming and thawing of near surface-permafrost.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Iron Oxidation–Reduction Processes in Warming Permafrost Soils and Surface Waters Expose a Seasonally Rusting Arctic Watershed

Barker,

Sullivan,

Baxter

et al. 2023

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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“…Adopting the same protocols when quantifying a sentinel response across regions will enable identification of large-scale effects as well as local-scale modifiers of signals. This goal could be accomplished through deeply collaborative efforts, and/or standardized methods and protocols shared across independently operating groups, as developed for example by the permafrost thaw research community for landscape monitoring (Boike et al 2022) and by CAFF for freshwater biodiversity monitoring (Culp et al 2012). Several recent reviews of Arctic freshwater biodiversity (Heino et al 2020;Goedkoop et al 2022) underscore the need for more coordinated monitoring programs at greater spatial and temporal resolution.…”

Section: Synthesis and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sentinel responses of Arctic freshwater systems to climate: linkages, evidence, and a roadmap for future research

et al. 2023

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While the sentinel nature of freshwater systems is now well-recognized, widespread integration of freshwater processes and patterns into our understanding of broader climate-driven Arctic terrestrial ecosystem change has been slow. We review the current understanding across Arctic freshwater systems of key sentinel responses to climate, which are attributes of these systems with demonstrated and sensitive responses to climate forcing. These include ice regimes, temperature and thermal structure, river baseflow, lake area and water level, permafrost-derived dissolved ions and nutrients, carbon mobilization (dissolved organic carbon, greenhouse gases, and radiocarbon), dissolved oxygen concentrations, lake trophic state, various aquatic organisms and their traits, and invasive species. For each sentinel, our objectives are to clarify linkages to climate, describe key insights already gained, and provide suggestions for future research based on current knowledge gaps. We suggest that tracking key responses in Arctic freshwater systems will expand understanding of the breadth and depth of climate-driven Arctic ecosystem changes, provide early indicators of looming, broader changes across the landscape, and improve protection of freshwater biodiversity and resources.

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(Un)frozen foundations: A study of permafrost construction practices in Russia, Alaska, and Canada

Landers

Streletskiy

2023

Ambio

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Standardized monitoring of permafrost thaw: a user-friendly, multiparameter protocol

Cited by 9 publications

References 60 publications

Iron Oxidation–Reduction Processes in Warming Permafrost Soils and Surface Waters Expose a Seasonally Rusting Arctic Watershed

Iron Oxidation–Reduction Processes in Warming Permafrost Soils and Surface Waters Expose a Seasonally Rusting Arctic Watershed

Sentinel responses of Arctic freshwater systems to climate: linkages, evidence, and a roadmap for future research

(Un)frozen foundations: A study of permafrost construction practices in Russia, Alaska, and Canada

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