Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 199-223 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | BIOGEOCHEMISTRY |
| Volume | 167 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 9 Mar 2024 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2024 |
Abstract
Permafrost soils in the northern hemisphere are known to harbor large amounts of soil organic matter (SOM). Global climate warming endangers this stable soil organic carbon (SOC) pool by triggering permafrost thaw and deepening the active layer, while at the same time progressing soil formation. But depending, e.g., on ice content or drainage, conditions in the degraded permafrost can range from water-saturated/anoxic to dry/oxic, with concomitant shifts in SOM stabilizing mechanisms. In this field study in Interior Alaska, we investigated two sites featuring degraded permafrost, one water-saturated and the other well-drained, alongside a third site with intact permafrost. Soil aggregate- and density fractions highlighted that permafrost thaw promoted macroaggregate formation, amplified by the incorporation of particulate organic matter, in topsoils of both degradation sites, thus potentially counteracting a decrease in topsoil SOC induced by the permafrost thawing. However, the subsoils were found to store notably less SOC than the intact permafrost in all fractions of both degradation sites. Our investigations revealed up to net 75% smaller SOC storage in the upper 100 cm of degraded permafrost soils as compared to the intact one, predominantly related to the subsoils, while differences between soils of wet and dry degraded landscapes were minor. This study provides evidence that the consideration of different permafrost degradation landscapes and the employment of soil fractionation techniques is a useful combination to investigate soil development and SOM stabilization processes in this sensitive ecosystem.
Keywords
- Climate change, Microbial decomposition, Permafrost thaw, Soil development, Soil fractions, Soil organic matter
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Chemistry
- Environmental Science(all)
- Water Science and Technology
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Earth-Surface Processes
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, Vol. 167, No. 3, 03.2024, p. 199-223.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Permafrost degradation and its consequences for carbon storage in soils of Interior Alaska
AU - Liebmann, Patrick
AU - Bárta, Jiří
AU - Vogel, Cordula
AU - Urich, Tim
AU - Kholodov, Alexander
AU - Varsadiya, Milan
AU - Mewes, Ole
AU - Dultz, Stefan
AU - Waqas, Muhammad
AU - Wang, Haitao
AU - Shibistova, Olga
AU - Guggenberger, Georg
N1 - Funding Information: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This study was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) within the framework of the Joint German-Czech Project “CRYOVULCAN—Vulnerability of carbon in Cryosols”, with the individual grants GU 406/35-1, UR 198/4-1, VO 2111/6-1, GACR project n. 20-21259J.
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - Permafrost soils in the northern hemisphere are known to harbor large amounts of soil organic matter (SOM). Global climate warming endangers this stable soil organic carbon (SOC) pool by triggering permafrost thaw and deepening the active layer, while at the same time progressing soil formation. But depending, e.g., on ice content or drainage, conditions in the degraded permafrost can range from water-saturated/anoxic to dry/oxic, with concomitant shifts in SOM stabilizing mechanisms. In this field study in Interior Alaska, we investigated two sites featuring degraded permafrost, one water-saturated and the other well-drained, alongside a third site with intact permafrost. Soil aggregate- and density fractions highlighted that permafrost thaw promoted macroaggregate formation, amplified by the incorporation of particulate organic matter, in topsoils of both degradation sites, thus potentially counteracting a decrease in topsoil SOC induced by the permafrost thawing. However, the subsoils were found to store notably less SOC than the intact permafrost in all fractions of both degradation sites. Our investigations revealed up to net 75% smaller SOC storage in the upper 100 cm of degraded permafrost soils as compared to the intact one, predominantly related to the subsoils, while differences between soils of wet and dry degraded landscapes were minor. This study provides evidence that the consideration of different permafrost degradation landscapes and the employment of soil fractionation techniques is a useful combination to investigate soil development and SOM stabilization processes in this sensitive ecosystem.
AB - Permafrost soils in the northern hemisphere are known to harbor large amounts of soil organic matter (SOM). Global climate warming endangers this stable soil organic carbon (SOC) pool by triggering permafrost thaw and deepening the active layer, while at the same time progressing soil formation. But depending, e.g., on ice content or drainage, conditions in the degraded permafrost can range from water-saturated/anoxic to dry/oxic, with concomitant shifts in SOM stabilizing mechanisms. In this field study in Interior Alaska, we investigated two sites featuring degraded permafrost, one water-saturated and the other well-drained, alongside a third site with intact permafrost. Soil aggregate- and density fractions highlighted that permafrost thaw promoted macroaggregate formation, amplified by the incorporation of particulate organic matter, in topsoils of both degradation sites, thus potentially counteracting a decrease in topsoil SOC induced by the permafrost thawing. However, the subsoils were found to store notably less SOC than the intact permafrost in all fractions of both degradation sites. Our investigations revealed up to net 75% smaller SOC storage in the upper 100 cm of degraded permafrost soils as compared to the intact one, predominantly related to the subsoils, while differences between soils of wet and dry degraded landscapes were minor. This study provides evidence that the consideration of different permafrost degradation landscapes and the employment of soil fractionation techniques is a useful combination to investigate soil development and SOM stabilization processes in this sensitive ecosystem.
KW - Climate change
KW - Microbial decomposition
KW - Permafrost thaw
KW - Soil development
KW - Soil fractions
KW - Soil organic matter
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85186885103&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10533-024-01132-4
DO - 10.1007/s10533-024-01132-4
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85186885103
VL - 167
SP - 199
EP - 223
JO - BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
JF - BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
SN - 0168-2563
IS - 3
ER -