Carbon Storage and Distribution in Tundra Soils of Arctic Alaska, U.S.A.

Michaelson, G. J.; Ping, C. L.; Kimble, J. M.

doi:10.2307/1551852

Cited by 215 publications

(201 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…However, as concerns about global warming increased, this raised fears that the organic carbon stored in permafrost-region soils might become a source of rather than a sink for atmospheric carbon (Oechel et al, 1993). Consequently, a series of studies was conducted in the northern circumpolar regions to explore the depth distribution of stored biogenic carbon in Gelisols (Michaelson et al, 1996Ping et al, 1998Ping et al, , 2008bBockheim and Hinkel, 2007;Bockheim et al, 1999;Tarnocai et al, 2009;Hugelius et al, 2010Hugelius et al, , 2013aStrauss et al, 2012Strauss et al, , 2013. Generally, on gentle to moderate slopes of glaciated uplands, SOM was cryoturbated to depths of mostly 80 to 120 cm.…”

Section: Cryoturbationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Generally, on gentle to moderate slopes of glaciated uplands, SOM was cryoturbated to depths of mostly 80 to 120 cm. But, cryoturbated SOM was found to reach depths of 3 m or more on exposed ridge tops where vegetation is sparse and protection from snow cover during winter is lacking (Michaelson et al, 1996), on floodplains (Shur and Jorgenson, 1998), in thaw-lake basins (Hinkel et al, 2003;Ping et al, 2014), and in degraded permafrost in the boreal region . Most of these mineral soils with cryoturbated SOM and broken surface organic horizons are classified as Turbels (Turbic Cryosols).…”

Section: Cryoturbationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Permafrost soils and carbon cycling

Ping

Jastrow

Jorgenson

et al. 2015

SOIL

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Abstract. Knowledge of soils in the permafrost region has advanced immensely in recent decades, despite the remoteness and inaccessibility of most of the region and the sampling limitations posed by the severe environment. These efforts significantly increased estimates of the amount of organic carbon stored in permafrost-region soils and improved understanding of how pedogenic processes unique to permafrost environments built enormous organic carbon stocks during the Quaternary. This knowledge has also called attention to the importance of permafrost-affected soils to the global carbon cycle and the potential vulnerability of the region's soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks to changing climatic conditions. In this review, we briefly introduce the permafrost characteristics, ice structures, and cryopedogenic processes that shape the development of permafrost-affected soils, and discuss their effects on soil structures and on organic matter distributions within the soil profile. We then examine the quantity of organic carbon stored in permafrost-region soils, as well as the characteristics, intrinsic decomposability, and potential vulnerability of this organic carbon to permafrost thaw under a warming climate. Overall, frozen conditions and cryopedogenic processes, such as cryoturbation, have slowed decomposition and enhanced the sequestration of organic carbon in permafrost-affected soils over millennial timescales. Due to the low temperatures, the organic matter in permafrost soils is often less humified than in more temperate soils, making some portion of this stored organic carbon relatively vulnerable to mineralization upon thawing of permafrost.

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Section: Cryoturbationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Cryoturbationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Permafrost soils and carbon cycling

Ping

Jastrow

Jorgenson

et al. 2015

SOIL

Self Cite

268

188

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“…The carbon balance of arctic tundra ecosystems is important in the global carbon budget because of the large areal extent of tundra, the large quantities of carbon stored in their soils [Gilmanov and Oechel, 1995;Michaelson et al, 1996], and the apparent sensitivity of these ecosystems to climate change [Oechel et al, 1993[Oechel et al, , 1995 To estimate average wintertime CO 2 efflux rates, we interpolated our mean monthly field measurements of CO 2 effiux from March through May and from November to the 8-month nongrowing season period. Means for each community were distributed fairly normally for each sampling period, and thus we feel this to be an appropriate method for scaling our estimates to the entire winter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wintertime CO₂ efflux from Arctic soils: Implications for annual carbon budgets

Fahnestock¹,

Jones²,

Welker³

1999

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

179

117

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Abstract. Estimates of annual carbon loss from arctic tundra ecosystems are based nearly entirely on measurements taken during the growing season in part because of methodological limitations but also reflecting the assumption that respiration during winter is near zero. Measurements of CO2 flux during winter, however, indicate significant amounts of carbon loss from tundra ecosystems throughout the 240-day nongrowing season. In our study during the 1996 and 1997 nongrowing seasons, winter carbon losses ranged from 2.0 g CO2 m -2 season '1 in moist dwarf shrub communities to 97 g CO2 m '2 season '1 in natural snowdrift communities, with an average wintertime CO2 efflux of 45 g CO2 m -2 for all Low Arctic tundra communities (0.14 Pg CO2 yr 'l worldwide). These measurements indicate that current estimates of annual carbon loss from tundra ecosystems are low. Inclusion of wintertime losses of CO2 into annual carbon budgets increases the annual carbon efflux of arctic tundra ecosystems by 17% and changes some ecosystems from net annual sinks to net sources of CO2 to the atmosphere.

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“…Arctic and sub-Arctic soils store vast amounts of carbon, weathered solutes, and nutrients bound in permafrost [Michaelson et al, 1996], and thermokarst failures liberate these locally. With permafrost thawing and soil warming, much of this previously bound organic carbon will likely be lost to the atmosphere via trace gas emissions and soil nutrient cycling will be altered [Oechel et al, 1993;Mack et al, 2004].…”

Section: Implications Of Hillslope Thermokarstmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union Volume 90, Number 4, 27 January 2009

2009

EoS Transactions

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Carbon Storage and Distribution in Tundra Soils of Arctic Alaska, U.S.A.

Cited by 215 publications

References 10 publications

Permafrost soils and carbon cycling

Permafrost soils and carbon cycling

Wintertime CO₂ efflux from Arctic soils: Implications for annual carbon budgets

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union Volume 90, Number 4, 27 January 2009

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Carbon Storage and Distribution in Tundra Soils of Arctic Alaska, U.S.A.

Cited by 215 publications

References 10 publications

Permafrost soils and carbon cycling

Permafrost soils and carbon cycling

Wintertime CO2 efflux from Arctic soils: Implications for annual carbon budgets

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union Volume 90, Number 4, 27 January 2009

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Product

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Wintertime CO₂ efflux from Arctic soils: Implications for annual carbon budgets