Acid Rock Drainage as Related to Permafrost, Glaciers, and Climate Change

Downing, Bruce W.; Jacobs, James A.

doi:10.1002/9781118749197.ch15

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…There is growing evidence that intensified thaw/degradation of permafrost across many terrains in the (sub)arctic regions is frequently accompanied by the liberation of massive acidic sulfate-rich drainages due to the oxidation of sulfidic shales and glacial tills that were previously frozen underground or covered by glaciers. 29,[31][32][33]111,112 The results of our study suggest that, during the oxidative weathering of these (sub)arctic sulfidic materials, most of the OM may remain intact at least in the short term. The production and outflow of the acidic drainages also result in massive formation of Fe(III) hydroxides and oxyhydroxysulfates (identified/modeled as schwertmannite and jarosite) in the associated active layers and along perennial/intermittent "rusting" streams/rivers.…”

Section: Environmental Science and Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Subsoil, despite being poor in OC compared to topsoil, has a greater thickness and higher degree of compactness/deformation and thus holds a larger pool of reactive Fe minerals . These physical and compositional properties enable the subsoil to act as a crucial, yet frequently overlooked, reservoir of terrestrial OC and nutrients. , Subsoil also contains a considerable volume of interconnected cracks, fissures, and tubular pores (hereafter collectively referred to as “macropores” or “macropore system”) that vary greatly in three-dimensional geometry, mainly depending on soil structure, fauna activities, and preferential water flow patterns. , These macropores serve as hotspots for (bio)geochemical reactions/processes, microbial activities, and the exchange and advection/movement of liquid and gaseous phases, − which in turn regulates OC/nutrient distribution, transformation, and storage in subsoil systems. ,, During the last two decades, our understanding of the factors and mechanisms controlling OC/nutrient sequestration, transformation, and stabilization in subsoil has greatly expanded. − However, it is still unclear how macropores and associated physical/(bio)geochemical reactions/processes could reshape and contribute to the distribution and storage of OC and nutrients in acidic sulfate-rich subsoil systems that are widespread on many coastal plains − and certainly increasing in extent in thawing (sub)arctic regions. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Storage and Distribution of Organic Carbon and Nutrients in Acidic Soils Developed on Sulfidic Sediments: The Roles of Reactive Iron and Macropores

Yu,

Luong,

Hefni

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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In a boreal acidic sulfate-rich subsoil (pH 3–4) developing on sulfidic and organic-rich sediments over the past 70 years, extensive brownish-to-yellowish layers have formed on macropores. Our data reveal that these layers (“macropore surfaces”) are strongly enriched in 1 M HCl-extractable reactive iron (2–7% dry weight), largely bound to schwertmannite and 2-line ferrihydrite. These reactive iron phases trap large pools of labile organic matter (OM) and HCl-extractable phosphorus, possibly derived from the cultivated layer. Within soil aggregates, the OM is of a different nature from that on the macropore surfaces but similar to that in the underlying sulfidic sediments (C-horizon). This provides evidence that the sedimentary OM in the bulk subsoil has been largely preserved without significant decomposition and/or fractionation, likely due to physiochemical stabilization by the reactive iron phases that also existed abundantly within the aggregates. These findings not only highlight the important yet underappreciated roles of iron oxyhydroxysulfates in OM/nutrient storage and distribution in acidic sulfate-rich and other similar environments but also suggest that boreal acidic sulfate-rich subsoils and other similar soil systems (existing widely on coastal plains worldwide and being increasingly formed in thawing permafrost) may act as global sinks for OM and nutrients in the short run.

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Section: Environmental Science and Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Storage and Distribution of Organic Carbon and Nutrients in Acidic Soils Developed on Sulfidic Sediments: The Roles of Reactive Iron and Macropores

Yu,

Luong,

Hefni

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…As of today, only a few studies exist which have been dealing with the investigation of ARD in periglacial environments (Downing & Jacobs, and references therein). Periglacial areas are exposed to cold, non‐glacial conditions with frost action, and the +3°C isotherm of mean annual air temperature (MAAT) can be used as a boundary between periglacial and non‐periglacial areas (French, ; Williams, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rock glaciers in crystalline catchments: Hidden permafrost‐related threats to alpine headwater lakes

Ilyashuk

Psenner

et al. 2017

Global Change Biology

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A global warming‐induced transition from glacial to periglacial processes has been identified in mountainous regions around the world. Degrading permafrost in pristine periglacial environments can produce acid rock drainage (ARD) and cause severe ecological damage in areas underlain by sulfide‐bearing bedrock. Limnological and paleolimnological approaches were used to assess and compare ARDs generated by rock glaciers, a typical landform of the mountain permafrost domain, and their effects on alpine headwater lakes with similar morphometric features and underlying bedrock geology, but characterized by different intensities of frost action in their catchments during the year. We argue that ARD and its effects on lakes are more severe in the alpine periglacial belt with mean annual air temperatures (MAAT) between −2°C and +3°C, where groundwater persists in the liquid phase for most of the year, in contrast to ARD in the periglacial belt where frost action dominates (MAAT < −2°C). The findings clearly suggest that the ambient air temperature is an important factor affecting the ARD production in alpine periglacial environments. Applying the paleoecological analysis of morphological abnormalities in chironomids through the past millennium, we tested and rejected the hypothesis that unfavorable conditions for aquatic life in the ARD‐stressed lakes are largely related to the temperature increase over recent decades, responsible for the enhanced release of ARD contaminants. Our results indicate that the ARDs generated in the catchments are of a long‐lasting nature and the frequency of chironomid morphological deformities was significantly higher during the Little Ice Age (LIA) than during pre‐ or post‐LIA periods, suggesting that lower water temperatures may increase the adverse impacts of ARD on aquatic invertebrates. This highlights that temperature‐mediated modulations of the metabolism and life cycle of aquatic organisms should be considered when reconstructing long‐term trends in the ecotoxicological state of lakes.

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Acid mine drainage: electrochemical approaches to prevention and remediation of acidity and toxic metals

Bejan

Bunce

2015

J Appl Electrochem

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Acid Rock Drainage as Related to Permafrost, Glaciers, and Climate Change

Cited by 4 publications

References 1 publication

Storage and Distribution of Organic Carbon and Nutrients in Acidic Soils Developed on Sulfidic Sediments: The Roles of Reactive Iron and Macropores

Storage and Distribution of Organic Carbon and Nutrients in Acidic Soils Developed on Sulfidic Sediments: The Roles of Reactive Iron and Macropores

Rock glaciers in crystalline catchments: Hidden permafrost‐related threats to alpine headwater lakes

Acid mine drainage: electrochemical approaches to prevention and remediation of acidity and toxic metals

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