Articles | Volume 12, issue 20
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-5941-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-5941-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 Oct 2015
Research article |
| 19 Oct 2015
Thermal processes of thermokarst lakes in the continuous permafrost zone of northern Siberia – observations and modeling (Lena River Delta, Siberia)
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A43, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
C. Georgi
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A43, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
G. Kirilin
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Mueggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany
S. Muster
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A43, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
K. Abramova
Lena Delta Nature Reserve, Ak. Fedorova 28, 678400 Tiksi, Sakha Republic, Russia
I. Fedorova
Institute of Earth Science, Saint-Petersburg State University, 10th line of Vasiljevsky Island, 33–35, 199178 Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, 38, Beringa Str., St. Petersburg, 199397, Russia
Kazan Federal University, 18, Kremlyovskaya str., Kazan, Russia
A. Chetverova
Institute of Earth Science, Saint-Petersburg State University, 10th line of Vasiljevsky Island, 33–35, 199178 Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, 38, Beringa Str., St. Petersburg, 199397, Russia
M. Grigoriev
Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia
N. Bornemann
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A43, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
M. Langer
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A43, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement (LGGE), 38402 St Martin d'Hères, CEDEX, France
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Boreal forests in eastern Siberia are an essential component of global climate patterns. We use a physically based model and field measurements to study the interactions between forests, permanently frozen ground and the atmosphere. We find that forests exert a strong control on the thermal state of permafrost through changing snow cover dynamics and altering the surface energy balance, through absorbing most of the incoming solar radiation and suppressing below-canopy turbulent fluxes.
Jean-Louis Bonne, Hanno Meyer, Melanie Behrens, Julia Boike, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Benjamin Rabe, Toni Schmidt, Lutz Schönicke, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, and Martin Werner
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This study introduces 2 years of continuous near-surface in situ observations of the stable isotopic composition of water vapour in parallel with precipitation in north-eastern Siberia. We evaluate the atmospheric transport of moisture towards the region of our observations with simulations constrained by meteorological reanalyses and use this information to interpret the temporal variations of the vapour isotopic composition from seasonal to synoptic timescales.
Inge Grünberg, Evan J. Wilcox, Simon Zwieback, Philip Marsh, and Julia Boike
Biogeosciences, 17, 4261–4279, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4261-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4261-2020, 2020
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Based on topsoil temperature data for different vegetation types at a low Arctic tundra site, we found large small-scale variability. Winter temperatures were strongly influenced by vegetation through its effects on snow. Summer temperatures were similar below most vegetation types and not consistently related to late summer permafrost thaw depth. Given that vegetation type defines the relationship between winter and summer soil temperature and thaw depth, it controls permafrost vulnerability.
Jan Nitzbon, Moritz Langer, Sebastian Westermann, Léo Martin, Kjetil Schanke Aas, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 13, 1089–1123, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019, 2019
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We studied the stability of ice wedges (massive bodies of ground ice in permafrost) under recent climatic conditions in the Lena River delta of northern Siberia. For this we used a novel modelling approach that takes into account lateral transport of heat, water, and snow and the subsidence of the ground surface due to melting of ground ice. We found that wetter conditions have a destabilizing effect on the ice wedges and associated our simulation results with observations from the study area.
Julia Boike, Jan Nitzbon, Katharina Anders, Mikhail Grigoriev, Dmitry Bolshiyanov, Moritz Langer, Stephan Lange, Niko Bornemann, Anne Morgenstern, Peter Schreiber, Christian Wille, Sarah Chadburn, Isabelle Gouttevin, Eleanor Burke, and Lars Kutzbach
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David Holl, Christian Wille, Torsten Sachs, Peter Schreiber, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Lutz Beckebanze, Moritz Langer, Julia Boike, Eva-Maria Pfeiffer, Irina Fedorova, Dimitry Y. Bolshianov, Mikhail N. Grigoriev, and Lars Kutzbach
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11, 221–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-221-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-221-2019, 2019
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We present a multi-annual time series of land–atmosphere carbon dioxide fluxes measured in situ with the eddy covariance technique in the Siberian Arctic. In arctic permafrost regions, climate–carbon feedbacks are amplified. Therefore, increased efforts to better represent these regions in global climate models have been made in recent years. Up to now, the available database of in situ measurements from the Arctic was biased towards Alaska and records from the Eurasian Arctic were scarce.
Kjetil S. Aas, Léo Martin, Jan Nitzbon, Moritz Langer, Julia Boike, Hanna Lee, Terje K. Berntsen, and Sebastian Westermann
The Cryosphere, 13, 591–609, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-591-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-591-2019, 2019
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Many permafrost landscapes contain large amounts of excess ground ice, which gives rise to small-scale elevation differences. This results in lateral fluxes of snow, water, and heat, which we investigate and show how it can be accounted for in large-scale models. Using a novel model technique which can account for these differences, we are able to model both the current state of permafrost and how these landscapes change as permafrost thaws, in a way that could not previously be achieved.
Gerhard Krinner, Chris Derksen, Richard Essery, Mark Flanner, Stefan Hagemann, Martyn Clark, Alex Hall, Helmut Rott, Claire Brutel-Vuilmet, Hyungjun Kim, Cécile B. Ménard, Lawrence Mudryk, Chad Thackeray, Libo Wang, Gabriele Arduini, Gianpaolo Balsamo, Paul Bartlett, Julia Boike, Aaron Boone, Frédérique Chéruy, Jeanne Colin, Matthias Cuntz, Yongjiu Dai, Bertrand Decharme, Jeff Derry, Agnès Ducharne, Emanuel Dutra, Xing Fang, Charles Fierz, Josephine Ghattas, Yeugeniy Gusev, Vanessa Haverd, Anna Kontu, Matthieu Lafaysse, Rachel Law, Dave Lawrence, Weiping Li, Thomas Marke, Danny Marks, Martin Ménégoz, Olga Nasonova, Tomoko Nitta, Masashi Niwano, John Pomeroy, Mark S. Raleigh, Gerd Schaedler, Vladimir Semenov, Tanya G. Smirnova, Tobias Stacke, Ulrich Strasser, Sean Svenson, Dmitry Turkov, Tao Wang, Nander Wever, Hua Yuan, Wenyan Zhou, and Dan Zhu
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 5027–5049, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-5027-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-5027-2018, 2018
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This paper provides an overview of a coordinated international experiment to determine the strengths and weaknesses in how climate models treat snow. The models will be assessed at point locations using high-quality reference measurements and globally using satellite-derived datasets. How well climate models simulate snow-related processes is important because changing snow cover is an important part of the global climate system and provides an important freshwater resource for human use.
Isabelle Gouttevin, Moritz Langer, Henning Löwe, Julia Boike, Martin Proksch, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 12, 3693–3717, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3693-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3693-2018, 2018
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Snow insulates the ground from the cold air in the Arctic winter, majorly affecting permafrost. This insulation depends on snow characteristics and is poorly quantified. Here, we characterize it at a carbon-rich permafrost site, using a recent technique that retrieves the 3-D structure of snow and its thermal properties. We adapt a snowpack model enabling the simulation of this insulation over a whole winter. We estimate that local snow variations induce up to a 6 °C spread in soil temperatures.
Julia Boike, Inge Juszak, Stephan Lange, Sarah Chadburn, Eleanor Burke, Pier Paul Overduin, Kurt Roth, Olaf Ippisch, Niko Bornemann, Lielle Stern, Isabelle Gouttevin, Ernst Hauber, and Sebastian Westermann
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 355–390, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-355-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-355-2018, 2018
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A 20-year data record from the Bayelva site at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, is presented on meteorology, energy balance components, surface and subsurface observations. This paper presents the data set, instrumentation, calibration, processing and data quality control. The data show that mean annual, summer and winter soil temperature data from shallow to deeper depths have been warming over the period of record, indicating the degradation and loss of permafrost at this site.
Simon Zwieback, Steven V. Kokelj, Frank Günther, Julia Boike, Guido Grosse, and Irena Hajnsek
The Cryosphere, 12, 549–564, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-549-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-549-2018, 2018
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We analyse elevation losses at thaw slumps, at which icy sediments are exposed. As ice requires a large amount of energy to melt, one would expect that mass wasting is governed by the available energy. However, we observe very little mass wasting in June, despite the ample energy supply. Also, in summer, mass wasting is not always energy limited. This highlights the importance of other processes, such as the formation of a protective veneer, in shaping mass wasting at sub-seasonal scales.
Kristoffer Aalstad, Sebastian Westermann, Thomas Vikhamar Schuler, Julia Boike, and Laurent Bertino
The Cryosphere, 12, 247–270, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-247-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-247-2018, 2018
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We demonstrate how snow cover data from satellites can be used to constrain estimates of snow distributions at sites in the Arctic. In this effort, we make use of data assimilation to combine the information contained in the snow cover data with a simple snow model. By comparing our snow distribution estimates to independent observations, we find that this method performs favorably. Being modular, this method could be applied to other areas as a component of a larger reanalysis system.
Sarah E. Chadburn, Gerhard Krinner, Philipp Porada, Annett Bartsch, Christian Beer, Luca Belelli Marchesini, Julia Boike, Altug Ekici, Bo Elberling, Thomas Friborg, Gustaf Hugelius, Margareta Johansson, Peter Kuhry, Lars Kutzbach, Moritz Langer, Magnus Lund, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Shushi Peng, Ko Van Huissteden, Tao Wang, Sebastian Westermann, Dan Zhu, and Eleanor J. Burke
Biogeosciences, 14, 5143–5169, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5143-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5143-2017, 2017
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Earth system models (ESMs) are our main tools for understanding future climate. The Arctic is important for the future carbon cycle, particularly due to the large carbon stocks in permafrost. We evaluated the performance of the land component of three major ESMs at Arctic tundra sites, focusing on the fluxes and stocks of carbon.
We show that the next steps for model improvement are to better represent vegetation dynamics, to include mosses and to improve below-ground carbon cycle processes.
Sabrina Marx, Katharina Anders, Sofia Antonova, Inga Beck, Julia Boike, Philip Marsh, Moritz Langer, and Bernhard Höfle
Earth Surf. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-49, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-49, 2017
Revised manuscript has not been submitted
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Global climate warming causes permafrost to warm and thaw, and, consequently, to release the carbon into the atmosphere. Terrestrial laser scanning is evaluated and current methods are extended in the context of monitoring subsidence in Arctic permafrost regions. The extracted information is important to gain a deeper understanding of permafrost-related subsidence processes and provides highly accurate ground-truth data which is necessary for further developing area-wide monitoring methods.
Sebastian Westermann, Maria Peter, Moritz Langer, Georg Schwamborn, Lutz Schirrmeister, Bernd Etzelmüller, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 11, 1441–1463, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1441-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1441-2017, 2017
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We demonstrate a remote-sensing-based scheme estimating the evolution of ground temperature and active layer thickness by means of a ground thermal model. A comparison to in situ observations from the Lena River delta in Siberia indicates that the model is generally capable of reproducing the annual temperature regime and seasonal thawing of the ground. The approach could hence be a first step towards remote detection of ground thermal conditions in permafrost areas.
Sina Muster, Kurt Roth, Moritz Langer, Stephan Lange, Fabio Cresto Aleina, Annett Bartsch, Anne Morgenstern, Guido Grosse, Benjamin Jones, A. Britta K. Sannel, Ylva Sjöberg, Frank Günther, Christian Andresen, Alexandra Veremeeva, Prajna R. Lindgren, Frédéric Bouchard, Mark J. Lara, Daniel Fortier, Simon Charbonneau, Tarmo A. Virtanen, Gustaf Hugelius, Juri Palmtag, Matthias B. Siewert, William J. Riley, Charles D. Koven, and Julia Boike
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 317–348, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-317-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-317-2017, 2017
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Waterbodies are abundant in Arctic permafrost lowlands. Most waterbodies are ponds with a surface area smaller than 100 x 100 m. The Permafrost Region Pond and Lake Database (PeRL) for the first time maps ponds as small as 10 x 10 m. PeRL maps can be used to document changes both by comparing them to historical and future imagery. The distribution of waterbodies in the Arctic is important to know in order to manage resources in the Arctic and to improve climate predictions in the Arctic.
Fabian Beermann, Moritz Langer, Sebastian Wetterich, Jens Strauss, Julia Boike, Claudia Fiencke, Lutz Schirrmeister, Eva-Maria Pfeiffer, and Lars Kutzbach
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-117, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-117, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
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This paper aims to quantify pools of inorganic nitrogen in permafrost soils of arctic Siberia and to estimate annual release rates of this nitrogen due to permafrost thaw. We report for the first time stores of inorganic nitrogen in Siberian permafrost soils. These nitrogen stores are important as permafrost thaw can mobilize substantial amounts of nitrogen, potentially changing the nutrient balance of these soils and representing a significant non-carbon permafrost climate feedback.
I. Beck, R. Ludwig, M. Bernier, T. Strozzi, and J. Boike
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 409–421, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-409-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-409-2015, 2015
S. E. Chadburn, E. J. Burke, R. L. H. Essery, J. Boike, M. Langer, M. Heikenfeld, P. M. Cox, and P. Friedlingstein
The Cryosphere, 9, 1505–1521, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1505-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1505-2015, 2015
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In this paper we use a global land-surface model to study the dynamics of Arctic permafrost. We examine the impact of new and improved processes in the model, namely soil depth and resolution, organic soils, moss and the representation of snow. These improvements make the simulated soil temperatures and thaw depth significantly more realistic. Simulations under future climate scenarios show that permafrost thaws more slowly in the new model version, but still a large amount is lost by 2100.
A. Ekici, S. Chadburn, N. Chaudhary, L. H. Hajdu, A. Marmy, S. Peng, J. Boike, E. Burke, A. D. Friend, C. Hauck, G. Krinner, M. Langer, P. A. Miller, and C. Beer
The Cryosphere, 9, 1343–1361, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1343-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1343-2015, 2015
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This paper compares the performance of different land models in estimating soil thermal regimes at distinct cold region landscape types. Comparing models with different processes reveal the importance of surface insulation (snow/moss layer) and soil internal processes (heat/water transfer). The importance of model processes also depend on site conditions such as high/low snow cover, dry/wet soil types.
T. Schneider von Deimling, G. Grosse, J. Strauss, L. Schirrmeister, A. Morgenstern, S. Schaphoff, M. Meinshausen, and J. Boike
Biogeosciences, 12, 3469–3488, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3469-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3469-2015, 2015
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We have modelled the carbon release from thawing permafrost soils under various scenarios of future warming. Our results suggests that up to about 140Pg of carbon could be released under strong warming by end of the century. We have shown that abrupt thaw processes under thermokarst lakes can unlock large amounts of perennially frozen carbon stored in deep deposits (which extend many metres into the soil).
S. Chadburn, E. Burke, R. Essery, J. Boike, M. Langer, M. Heikenfeld, P. Cox, and P. Friedlingstein
Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 1493–1508, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-1493-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-1493-2015, 2015
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Permafrost, ground that is frozen for 2 or more years, is found extensively in the Arctic. It stores large quantities of carbon, which may be released under climate warming, so it is important to include it in climate models. Here we improve the representation of permafrost in a climate model land-surface scheme, both in the numerical representation of soil and snow, and by adding the effects of organic soils and moss. Site simulations show significantly improved soil temperature and thaw depth.
M. Langer, S. Westermann, K. Walter Anthony, K. Wischnewski, and J. Boike
Biogeosciences, 12, 977–990, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-977-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-977-2015, 2015
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Methane production rates of Arctic ponds during the freezing period within a typical tundra landscape in northern Siberia are presented. Production rates were inferred by inverse modeling based on measured methane concentrations in the ice cover. Results revealed marked differences in early winter methane production among ponds showing different stages of shore degradation. This suggests that shore erosion can increase methane production of Arctic ponds by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude.
I. Fedorova, A. Chetverova, D. Bolshiyanov, A. Makarov, J. Boike, B. Heim, A. Morgenstern, P. P. Overduin, C. Wegner, V. Kashina, A. Eulenburg, E. Dobrotina, and I. Sidorina
Biogeosciences, 12, 345–363, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-345-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-345-2015, 2015
J. Lüers, S. Westermann, K. Piel, and J. Boike
Biogeosciences, 11, 6307–6322, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6307-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6307-2014, 2014
S. Yi, K. Wischnewski, M. Langer, S. Muster, and J. Boike
Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 1671–1689, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1671-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1671-2014, 2014
Ephraim Erkens, Michael Angelopoulos, Jens Tronicke, Scott R. Dallimore, Dustin Whalen, Julia Boike, and Pier Paul Overduin
The Cryosphere, 19, 997–1012, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-997-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-997-2025, 2025
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We investigate the depth of subsea permafrost formed by inundation of terrestrial permafrost due to marine transgression around the rapidly disappearing, permafrost-cored Tuktoyaktuk Island (Beaufort Sea, NWT, Canada). We use geoelectrical surveys with floating electrodes to identify the boundary between unfrozen and frozen sediment. Our findings indicate that permafrost thaw depths beneath the seabed can be explained by coastal erosion rates and landscape features before inundation.
Georgiy B. Kirillin, Tom Shatwell, and Alexander S. Izhitskiy
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-113, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-113, 2025
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The restoration of the North Aral Sea caused remarkable shifts in its temperature, ice cover, and oxygen levels, which have not yet been fully understood so far. We demonstrate that the North Aral Sea has regained conditions similar to its state before drying out, but its seasonal mixing pattern remains unstable. Small changes in water levels or clarity could push the lake toward stable dimictic or polymictic conditions, highlighting its sensitivity to environmental and management factors.
Bennet Juhls, Anne Morgenstern, Jens Hölemann, Antje Eulenburg, Birgit Heim, Frederieke Miesner, Hendrik Grotheer, Gesine Mollenhauer, Hanno Meyer, Ephraim Erkens, Felica Yara Gehde, Sofia Antonova, Sergey Chalov, Maria Tereshina, Oxana Erina, Evgeniya Fingert, Ekaterina Abramova, Tina Sanders, Liudmila Lebedeva, Nikolai Torgovkin, Georgii Maksimov, Vasily Povazhnyi, Rafael Gonçalves-Araujo, Urban Wünsch, Antonina Chetverova, Sophie Opfergelt, and Pier Paul Overduin
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1–28, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1-2025, 2025
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The Siberian Arctic is warming fast: permafrost is thawing, river chemistry is changing, and coastal ecosystems are affected. We aimed to understand changes in the Lena River, a major Arctic river flowing to the Arctic Ocean, by collecting 4.5 years of detailed water data, including temperature and carbon and nutrient contents. This dataset records current conditions and helps us to detect future changes. Explore it at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.913197 and https://lena-monitoring.awi.de/.
Tabea Rettelbach, Ingmar Nitze, Inge Grünberg, Jennika Hammar, Simon Schäffler, Daniel Hein, Matthias Gessner, Tilman Bucher, Jörg Brauchle, Jörg Hartmann, Torsten Sachs, Julia Boike, and Guido Grosse
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 5767–5798, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5767-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5767-2024, 2024
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Permafrost landscapes in the Arctic are rapidly changing due to climate warming. Here, we publish aerial images and elevation models with very high spatial detail that help study these landscapes in northwestern Canada and Alaska. The images were collected using the Modular Aerial Camera System (MACS). This dataset has significant implications for understanding permafrost landscape dynamics in response to climate change. It is publicly available for further research.
Soraya Kaiser, Julia Boike, Guido Grosse, and Moritz Langer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 3719–3753, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3719-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3719-2024, 2024
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Arctic warming, leading to permafrost degradation, poses primary threats to infrastructure and secondary ecological hazards from possible infrastructure failure. Our study created a comprehensive Alaska inventory combining various data sources with which we improved infrastructure classification and data on contaminated sites. This resource is presented as a GeoPackage allowing planning of infrastructure damage and possible implications for Arctic communities facing permafrost challenges.
Frederieke Miesner, William Lambert Cable, Pier Paul Overduin, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 18, 2603–2611, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2603-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2603-2024, 2024
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The temperature in the sediment below Arctic lakes determines the stability of the permafrost and microbial activity. However, measurements are scarce because of the remoteness. We present a robust and portable device to fill this gap. Test campaigns have demonstrated its utility in a range of environments during winter and summer. The measured temperatures show a great variability within and across locations. The data can be used to validate models and estimate potential emissions.
Victoria R. Dutch, Nick Rutter, Leanne Wake, Oliver Sonnentag, Gabriel Hould Gosselin, Melody Sandells, Chris Derksen, Branden Walker, Gesa Meyer, Richard Essery, Richard Kelly, Phillip Marsh, Julia Boike, and Matteo Detto
Biogeosciences, 21, 825–841, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-825-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-825-2024, 2024
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We undertake a sensitivity study of three different parameters on the simulation of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) during the snow-covered non-growing season at an Arctic tundra site. Simulations are compared to eddy covariance measurements, with near-zero NEE simulated despite observed CO2 release. We then consider how to parameterise the model better in Arctic tundra environments on both sub-seasonal timescales and cumulatively throughout the snow-covered non-growing season.
Jennika Hammar, Inge Grünberg, Steven V. Kokelj, Jurjen van der Sluijs, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 17, 5357–5372, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5357-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5357-2023, 2023
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Roads on permafrost have significant environmental effects. This study assessed the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway (ITH) in Canada and its impact on snow accumulation, albedo and snowmelt timing. Our findings revealed that snow accumulation increased by up to 36 m from the road, 12-day earlier snowmelt within 100 m due to reduced albedo, and altered snowmelt patterns in seemingly undisturbed areas. Remote sensing aids in understanding road impacts on permafrost.
Juditha Aga, Julia Boike, Moritz Langer, Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen, and Sebastian Westermann
The Cryosphere, 17, 4179–4206, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4179-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4179-2023, 2023
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This study presents a new model scheme for simulating ice segregation and thaw consolidation in permafrost environments, depending on ground properties and climatic forcing. It is embedded in the CryoGrid community model, a land surface model for the terrestrial cryosphere. We describe the model physics and functionalities, followed by a model validation and a sensitivity study of controlling factors.
Brian Groenke, Moritz Langer, Jan Nitzbon, Sebastian Westermann, Guillermo Gallego, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 17, 3505–3533, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3505-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3505-2023, 2023
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It is now well known from long-term temperature measurements that Arctic permafrost, i.e., ground that remains continuously frozen for at least 2 years, is warming in response to climate change. Temperature, however, only tells half of the story. In this study, we use computer modeling to better understand how the thawing and freezing of water in the ground affects the way permafrost responds to climate change and what temperature trends can and cannot tell us about how permafrost is changing.
Sebastian Westermann, Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen, Johanna Scheer, Kristoffer Aalstad, Juditha Aga, Nitin Chaudhary, Bernd Etzelmüller, Simon Filhol, Andreas Kääb, Cas Renette, Louise Steffensen Schmidt, Thomas Vikhamar Schuler, Robin B. Zweigel, Léo Martin, Sarah Morard, Matan Ben-Asher, Michael Angelopoulos, Julia Boike, Brian Groenke, Frederieke Miesner, Jan Nitzbon, Paul Overduin, Simone M. Stuenzi, and Moritz Langer
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 2607–2647, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-2607-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-2607-2023, 2023
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The CryoGrid community model is a new tool for simulating ground temperatures and the water and ice balance in cold regions. It is a modular design, which makes it possible to test different schemes to simulate, for example, permafrost ground in an efficient way. The model contains tools to simulate frozen and unfrozen ground, snow, glaciers, and other massive ice bodies, as well as water bodies.
Victoria R. Dutch, Nick Rutter, Leanne Wake, Melody Sandells, Chris Derksen, Branden Walker, Gabriel Hould Gosselin, Oliver Sonnentag, Richard Essery, Richard Kelly, Phillip Marsh, Joshua King, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 16, 4201–4222, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4201-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4201-2022, 2022
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Measurements of the properties of the snow and soil were compared to simulations of the Community Land Model to see how well the model represents snow insulation. Simulations underestimated snow thermal conductivity and wintertime soil temperatures. We test two approaches to reduce the transfer of heat through the snowpack and bring simulated soil temperatures closer to measurements, with an alternative parameterisation of snow thermal conductivity being more appropriate.
Mengxiao Wang, Lijuan Wen, Zhaoguo Li, Matti Leppäranta, Victor Stepanenko, Yixin Zhao, Ruijia Niu, Liuyiyi Yang, and Georgiy Kirillin
The Cryosphere, 16, 3635–3648, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3635-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3635-2022, 2022
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The under-ice water temperature of Ngoring Lake has been rising based on in situ observations. We obtained results showing that strong downward shortwave radiation is the main meteorological factor, and precipitation, wind speed, downward longwave radiation, air temperature, ice albedo, and ice extinction coefficient have an impact on the range and rate of lake temperature rise. Once the ice breaks, the lake body releases more energy than other lakes, whose water temperature remains horizontal.
Jan Nitzbon, Damir Gadylyaev, Steffen Schlüter, John Maximilian Köhne, Guido Grosse, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 16, 3507–3515, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3507-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3507-2022, 2022
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The microstructure of permafrost soils contains clues to its formation and its preconditioning to future change. We used X-ray computed tomography (CT) to measure the composition of a permafrost drill core from Siberia. By combining CT with laboratory measurements, we determined the the proportions of pore ice, excess ice, minerals, organic matter, and gas contained in the core at an unprecedented resolution. Our work demonstrates the potential of CT to study permafrost properties and processes.
Lutz Beckebanze, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Josefine Walz, Christian Wille, David Holl, Manuel Helbig, Julia Boike, Torsten Sachs, and Lars Kutzbach
Biogeosciences, 19, 3863–3876, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3863-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3863-2022, 2022
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In this study, we present observations of lateral and vertical carbon fluxes from a permafrost-affected study site in the Russian Arctic. From this dataset we estimate the net ecosystem carbon balance for this study site. We show that lateral carbon export has a low impact on the net ecosystem carbon balance during the complete study period (3 months). Nevertheless, our results also show that lateral carbon export can exceed vertical carbon uptake at the beginning of the growing season.
Malgorzata Golub, Wim Thiery, Rafael Marcé, Don Pierson, Inne Vanderkelen, Daniel Mercado-Bettin, R. Iestyn Woolway, Luke Grant, Eleanor Jennings, Benjamin M. Kraemer, Jacob Schewe, Fang Zhao, Katja Frieler, Matthias Mengel, Vasiliy Y. Bogomolov, Damien Bouffard, Marianne Côté, Raoul-Marie Couture, Andrey V. Debolskiy, Bram Droppers, Gideon Gal, Mingyang Guo, Annette B. G. Janssen, Georgiy Kirillin, Robert Ladwig, Madeline Magee, Tadhg Moore, Marjorie Perroud, Sebastiano Piccolroaz, Love Raaman Vinnaa, Martin Schmid, Tom Shatwell, Victor M. Stepanenko, Zeli Tan, Bronwyn Woodward, Huaxia Yao, Rita Adrian, Mathew Allan, Orlane Anneville, Lauri Arvola, Karen Atkins, Leon Boegman, Cayelan Carey, Kyle Christianson, Elvira de Eyto, Curtis DeGasperi, Maria Grechushnikova, Josef Hejzlar, Klaus Joehnk, Ian D. Jones, Alo Laas, Eleanor B. Mackay, Ivan Mammarella, Hampus Markensten, Chris McBride, Deniz Özkundakci, Miguel Potes, Karsten Rinke, Dale Robertson, James A. Rusak, Rui Salgado, Leon van der Linden, Piet Verburg, Danielle Wain, Nicole K. Ward, Sabine Wollrab, and Galina Zdorovennova
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 4597–4623, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-4597-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-4597-2022, 2022
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Lakes and reservoirs are warming across the globe. To better understand how lakes are changing and to project their future behavior amidst various sources of uncertainty, simulations with a range of lake models are required. This in turn requires international coordination across different lake modelling teams worldwide. Here we present a protocol for and results from coordinated simulations of climate change impacts on lakes worldwide.
Noah D. Smith, Eleanor J. Burke, Kjetil Schanke Aas, Inge H. J. Althuizen, Julia Boike, Casper Tai Christiansen, Bernd Etzelmüller, Thomas Friborg, Hanna Lee, Heather Rumbold, Rachael H. Turton, Sebastian Westermann, and Sarah E. Chadburn
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 3603–3639, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-3603-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-3603-2022, 2022
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The Arctic has large areas of small mounds that are caused by ice lifting up the soil. Snow blown by wind gathers in hollows next to these mounds, insulating them in winter. The hollows tend to be wetter, and thus the soil absorbs more heat in summer. The warm wet soil in the hollows decomposes, releasing methane. We have made a model of this, and we have tested how it behaves and whether it looks like sites in Scandinavia and Siberia. Sometimes we get more methane than a model without mounds.
Stefan Kruse, Simone M. Stuenzi, Julia Boike, Moritz Langer, Josias Gloy, and Ulrike Herzschuh
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 2395–2422, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-2395-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-2395-2022, 2022
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We coupled established models for boreal forest (LAVESI) and permafrost dynamics (CryoGrid) in Siberia to investigate interactions of the diverse vegetation layer with permafrost soils. Our tests showed improved active layer depth estimations and newly included species growth according to their species-specific limits. We conclude that the new model system can be applied to simulate boreal forest dynamics and transitions under global warming and disturbances, expanding our knowledge.
Anna-Maria Virkkala, Susan M. Natali, Brendan M. Rogers, Jennifer D. Watts, Kathleen Savage, Sara June Connon, Marguerite Mauritz, Edward A. G. Schuur, Darcy Peter, Christina Minions, Julia Nojeim, Roisin Commane, Craig A. Emmerton, Mathias Goeckede, Manuel Helbig, David Holl, Hiroki Iwata, Hideki Kobayashi, Pasi Kolari, Efrén López-Blanco, Maija E. Marushchak, Mikhail Mastepanov, Lutz Merbold, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Matthias Peichl, Torsten Sachs, Oliver Sonnentag, Masahito Ueyama, Carolina Voigt, Mika Aurela, Julia Boike, Gerardo Celis, Namyi Chae, Torben R. Christensen, M. Syndonia Bret-Harte, Sigrid Dengel, Han Dolman, Colin W. Edgar, Bo Elberling, Eugenie Euskirchen, Achim Grelle, Juha Hatakka, Elyn Humphreys, Järvi Järveoja, Ayumi Kotani, Lars Kutzbach, Tuomas Laurila, Annalea Lohila, Ivan Mammarella, Yojiro Matsuura, Gesa Meyer, Mats B. Nilsson, Steven F. Oberbauer, Sang-Jong Park, Roman Petrov, Anatoly S. Prokushkin, Christopher Schulze, Vincent L. St. Louis, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Juha-Pekka Tuovinen, William Quinton, Andrej Varlagin, Donatella Zona, and Viacheslav I. Zyryanov
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 179–208, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-179-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-179-2022, 2022
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The effects of climate warming on carbon cycling across the Arctic–boreal zone (ABZ) remain poorly understood due to the relatively limited distribution of ABZ flux sites. Fortunately, this flux network is constantly increasing, but new measurements are published in various platforms, making it challenging to understand the ABZ carbon cycle as a whole. Here, we compiled a new database of Arctic–boreal CO2 fluxes to help facilitate large-scale assessments of the ABZ carbon cycle.
Manuel C. Almeida, Yurii Shevchuk, Georgiy Kirillin, Pedro M. M. Soares, Rita M. Cardoso, José P. Matos, Ricardo M. Rebelo, António C. Rodrigues, and Pedro S. Coelho
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 173–197, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-173-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-173-2022, 2022
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In this study, we have evaluated the importance of the input of energy conveyed by river inflows into lakes and reservoirs when modeling surface water energy fluxes. Our results suggest that there is a strong correlation between water residence time and the surface water temperature prediction error and that the combined use of process-based physical models and machine-learning models will considerably improve the modeling of air–lake heat and moisture fluxes.
Katharina Jentzsch, Julia Boike, and Thomas Foken
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7291–7296, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7291-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7291-2021, 2021
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Very small CO2 fluxes are measured at night in Arctic regions. If the sensible heat flux is not close to zero under these conditions, the WPL correction will take values on the order of the flux. A special quality control is proposed for these cases.
Lydia Stolpmann, Caroline Coch, Anne Morgenstern, Julia Boike, Michael Fritz, Ulrike Herzschuh, Kathleen Stoof-Leichsenring, Yury Dvornikov, Birgit Heim, Josefine Lenz, Amy Larsen, Katey Walter Anthony, Benjamin Jones, Karen Frey, and Guido Grosse
Biogeosciences, 18, 3917–3936, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3917-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3917-2021, 2021
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Our new database summarizes DOC concentrations of 2167 water samples from 1833 lakes in permafrost regions across the Arctic to provide insights into linkages between DOC and environment. We found increasing lake DOC concentration with decreasing permafrost extent and higher DOC concentrations in boreal permafrost sites compared to tundra sites. Our study shows that DOC concentration depends on the environmental properties of a lake, especially permafrost extent, ecoregion, and vegetation.
Juditha Undine Schmidt, Bernd Etzelmüller, Thomas Vikhamar Schuler, Florence Magnin, Julia Boike, Moritz Langer, and Sebastian Westermann
The Cryosphere, 15, 2491–2509, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2491-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2491-2021, 2021
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This study presents rock surface temperatures (RSTs) of steep high-Arctic rock walls on Svalbard from 2016 to 2020. The field data show that coastal cliffs are characterized by warmer RSTs than inland locations during winter seasons. By running model simulations, we analyze factors leading to that effect, calculate the surface energy balance and simulate different future scenarios. Both field data and model results can contribute to a further understanding of RST in high-Arctic rock walls.
Alexander Savvichev, Igor Rusanov, Yury Dvornikov, Vitaly Kadnikov, Anna Kallistova, Elena Veslopolova, Antonina Chetverova, Marina Leibman, Pavel A. Sigalevich, Nikolay Pimenov, Nikolai Ravin, and Artem Khomutov
Biogeosciences, 18, 2791–2807, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2791-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2791-2021, 2021
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Microbial processes of the methane cycle were studied in four lakes of the central part of the Yamal Peninsula in an area of continuous permafrost: two large, deep lakes and two small and shallow ones. It was found that only small, shallow lakes contributed significantly to the overall diffusive methane emissions from the water surface during the warm summer season. The water column of large, deep lakes on Yamal acted as a microbial filter preventing methane emissions into the atmosphere.
Ines Spangenberg, Pier Paul Overduin, Ellen Damm, Ingeborg Bussmann, Hanno Meyer, Susanne Liebner, Michael Angelopoulos, Boris K. Biskaborn, Mikhail N. Grigoriev, and Guido Grosse
The Cryosphere, 15, 1607–1625, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1607-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1607-2021, 2021
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Thermokarst lakes are common on ice-rich permafrost. Many studies have shown that they are sources of methane to the atmosphere. Although they are usually covered by ice, little is known about what happens to methane in winter. We studied how much methane is contained in the ice of a thermokarst lake, a thermokarst lagoon and offshore. Methane concentrations differed strongly, depending on water body type. Microbes can also oxidize methane in ice and lower the concentrations during winter.
Jan Nitzbon, Moritz Langer, Léo C. P. Martin, Sebastian Westermann, Thomas Schneider von Deimling, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 15, 1399–1422, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1399-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1399-2021, 2021
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We used a numerical model to investigate how small-scale landscape heterogeneities affect permafrost thaw under climate-warming scenarios. Our results show that representing small-scale heterogeneities in the model can decide whether a landscape is water-logged or well-drained in the future. This in turn affects how fast permafrost thaws under warming. Our research emphasizes the importance of considering small-scale processes in model assessments of permafrost thaw under climate change.
Simone Maria Stuenzi, Julia Boike, William Cable, Ulrike Herzschuh, Stefan Kruse, Luidmila A. Pestryakova, Thomas Schneider von Deimling, Sebastian Westermann, Evgenii S. Zakharov, and Moritz Langer
Biogeosciences, 18, 343–365, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-343-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-343-2021, 2021
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Boreal forests in eastern Siberia are an essential component of global climate patterns. We use a physically based model and field measurements to study the interactions between forests, permanently frozen ground and the atmosphere. We find that forests exert a strong control on the thermal state of permafrost through changing snow cover dynamics and altering the surface energy balance, through absorbing most of the incoming solar radiation and suppressing below-canopy turbulent fluxes.
Jean-Louis Bonne, Hanno Meyer, Melanie Behrens, Julia Boike, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Benjamin Rabe, Toni Schmidt, Lutz Schönicke, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, and Martin Werner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 10493–10511, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10493-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10493-2020, 2020
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This study introduces 2 years of continuous near-surface in situ observations of the stable isotopic composition of water vapour in parallel with precipitation in north-eastern Siberia. We evaluate the atmospheric transport of moisture towards the region of our observations with simulations constrained by meteorological reanalyses and use this information to interpret the temporal variations of the vapour isotopic composition from seasonal to synoptic timescales.
Inge Grünberg, Evan J. Wilcox, Simon Zwieback, Philip Marsh, and Julia Boike
Biogeosciences, 17, 4261–4279, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4261-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4261-2020, 2020
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Based on topsoil temperature data for different vegetation types at a low Arctic tundra site, we found large small-scale variability. Winter temperatures were strongly influenced by vegetation through its effects on snow. Summer temperatures were similar below most vegetation types and not consistently related to late summer permafrost thaw depth. Given that vegetation type defines the relationship between winter and summer soil temperature and thaw depth, it controls permafrost vulnerability.
Georgiy Kirillin, Ilya Aslamov, Vladimir Kozlov, Roman Zdorovennov, and Nikolai Granin
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1691–1708, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1691-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1691-2020, 2020
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We found that heat transported from Lake Baikal to its ice cover is up to 10 times higher than traditionally assumed and strongly affects the ice melting. The heat is transported by under-ice currents on the background of a strong temperature gradient between the ice base and warmer waters beneath. To parameterize this newly quantified transport mechanism, an original boundary layer model was developed. The results are crucial for understanding seasonal ice dynamics on lakes and marginal seas.
Julia Mitzscherling, Fabian Horn, Maria Winterfeld, Linda Mahler, Jens Kallmeyer, Pier P. Overduin, Lutz Schirrmeister, Matthias Winkel, Mikhail N. Grigoriev, Dirk Wagner, and Susanne Liebner
Biogeosciences, 16, 3941–3958, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3941-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3941-2019, 2019
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Permafrost temperatures increased substantially at a global scale, potentially altering microbial assemblages involved in carbon mobilization before permafrost thaws. We used Arctic Shelf submarine permafrost as a natural laboratory to investigate the microbial response to long-term permafrost warming. Our work shows that millennia after permafrost warming by > 10 °C, microbial community composition and population size reflect the paleoenvironment rather than a direct effect through warming.
Dongsheng Su, Xiuqing Hu, Lijuan Wen, Shihua Lyu, Xiaoqing Gao, Lin Zhao, Zhaoguo Li, Juan Du, and Georgiy Kirillin
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2093–2109, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2093-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2093-2019, 2019
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In this study, freshwater lake model simulation results, verified by satellite and buoy observation data, were used to quantify recent climate change effects on the thermal regime of the largest lake in China. Results indicate that the FLake model can reproduce the lake thermal pattern nicely. The lake surface is warming, while the lake bottom has no significant trend. Climate change also caused an earlier ice-off and later ice-on, leading to an obvious change in the energy balance of the lake.
Jan Nitzbon, Moritz Langer, Sebastian Westermann, Léo Martin, Kjetil Schanke Aas, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 13, 1089–1123, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019, 2019
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We studied the stability of ice wedges (massive bodies of ground ice in permafrost) under recent climatic conditions in the Lena River delta of northern Siberia. For this we used a novel modelling approach that takes into account lateral transport of heat, water, and snow and the subsidence of the ground surface due to melting of ground ice. We found that wetter conditions have a destabilizing effect on the ice wedges and associated our simulation results with observations from the study area.
Tom Shatwell, Wim Thiery, and Georgiy Kirillin
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1533–1551, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1533-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1533-2019, 2019
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We used models to project future temperature and mixing in temperate lakes. Lakes will probably warm faster in winter than in summer, making ice less frequent and altering mixing. We found that the layers that form seasonally in lakes (ice, stratification) and water clarity affect how lakes accumulate heat. Seasonal changes in climate were thus important. This helps us better understand how different lake types respond to warming and which physical changes to expect in the future.
Julia Boike, Jan Nitzbon, Katharina Anders, Mikhail Grigoriev, Dmitry Bolshiyanov, Moritz Langer, Stephan Lange, Niko Bornemann, Anne Morgenstern, Peter Schreiber, Christian Wille, Sarah Chadburn, Isabelle Gouttevin, Eleanor Burke, and Lars Kutzbach
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11, 261–299, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-261-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-261-2019, 2019
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Long-term observational data are available from the Samoylov research site in northern Siberia, where meteorological parameters, energy balance, and subsurface observations have been recorded since 1998. This paper presents the temporal data set produced between 2002 and 2017, explaining the instrumentation, calibration, processing, and data quality control. Furthermore, we present a merged dataset of the parameters, which were measured from 1998 onwards.
David Holl, Christian Wille, Torsten Sachs, Peter Schreiber, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Lutz Beckebanze, Moritz Langer, Julia Boike, Eva-Maria Pfeiffer, Irina Fedorova, Dimitry Y. Bolshianov, Mikhail N. Grigoriev, and Lars Kutzbach
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11, 221–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-221-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-221-2019, 2019
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We present a multi-annual time series of land–atmosphere carbon dioxide fluxes measured in situ with the eddy covariance technique in the Siberian Arctic. In arctic permafrost regions, climate–carbon feedbacks are amplified. Therefore, increased efforts to better represent these regions in global climate models have been made in recent years. Up to now, the available database of in situ measurements from the Arctic was biased towards Alaska and records from the Eurasian Arctic were scarce.
Kjetil S. Aas, Léo Martin, Jan Nitzbon, Moritz Langer, Julia Boike, Hanna Lee, Terje K. Berntsen, and Sebastian Westermann
The Cryosphere, 13, 591–609, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-591-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-591-2019, 2019
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Many permafrost landscapes contain large amounts of excess ground ice, which gives rise to small-scale elevation differences. This results in lateral fluxes of snow, water, and heat, which we investigate and show how it can be accounted for in large-scale models. Using a novel model technique which can account for these differences, we are able to model both the current state of permafrost and how these landscapes change as permafrost thaws, in a way that could not previously be achieved.
Georgiy Kirillin, Ilya Aslamov, Matti Leppäranta, and Elisa Lindgren
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 6493–6504, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6493-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6493-2018, 2018
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We have discovered transient appearances of strong turbulent mixing beneath the ice of an Arctic lake. Such mixing events increase heating of the ice base up to an order of magnitude and can significantly accelerate ice melting. The source of mixing was identified as oscillations of the entire lake water body triggered by strong winds over the lake surface. This previously unknown mechanism of ice melt may help understand the link between the climate conditions and the seasonal ice formation.
Gerhard Krinner, Chris Derksen, Richard Essery, Mark Flanner, Stefan Hagemann, Martyn Clark, Alex Hall, Helmut Rott, Claire Brutel-Vuilmet, Hyungjun Kim, Cécile B. Ménard, Lawrence Mudryk, Chad Thackeray, Libo Wang, Gabriele Arduini, Gianpaolo Balsamo, Paul Bartlett, Julia Boike, Aaron Boone, Frédérique Chéruy, Jeanne Colin, Matthias Cuntz, Yongjiu Dai, Bertrand Decharme, Jeff Derry, Agnès Ducharne, Emanuel Dutra, Xing Fang, Charles Fierz, Josephine Ghattas, Yeugeniy Gusev, Vanessa Haverd, Anna Kontu, Matthieu Lafaysse, Rachel Law, Dave Lawrence, Weiping Li, Thomas Marke, Danny Marks, Martin Ménégoz, Olga Nasonova, Tomoko Nitta, Masashi Niwano, John Pomeroy, Mark S. Raleigh, Gerd Schaedler, Vladimir Semenov, Tanya G. Smirnova, Tobias Stacke, Ulrich Strasser, Sean Svenson, Dmitry Turkov, Tao Wang, Nander Wever, Hua Yuan, Wenyan Zhou, and Dan Zhu
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 5027–5049, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-5027-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-5027-2018, 2018
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This paper provides an overview of a coordinated international experiment to determine the strengths and weaknesses in how climate models treat snow. The models will be assessed at point locations using high-quality reference measurements and globally using satellite-derived datasets. How well climate models simulate snow-related processes is important because changing snow cover is an important part of the global climate system and provides an important freshwater resource for human use.
Peter O. Zavialov, Alexander S. Izhitskiy, Georgiy B. Kirillin, Valentina M. Khan, Boris V. Konovalov, Peter N. Makkaveev, Vadim V. Pelevin, Nikolay A. Rimskiy-Korsakov, Salmor A. Alymkulov, and Kubanychbek M. Zhumaliev
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 6279–6295, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6279-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6279-2018, 2018
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This paper reports the results of field surveys conducted in Lake Issyk-Kul in 2015–2017 and compares the present-day data with the available historical records. Our data do not confirm the reports of progressive warming of the deep Issyk-Kul waters as suggested in some previous publications. However, they do indicate a positive trend of salinity in the lake’s interior over the last 3 decades. An important newly found feature is a persistent salinity maximum at depths of 70–120 m.
Isabelle Gouttevin, Moritz Langer, Henning Löwe, Julia Boike, Martin Proksch, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 12, 3693–3717, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3693-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3693-2018, 2018
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Snow insulates the ground from the cold air in the Arctic winter, majorly affecting permafrost. This insulation depends on snow characteristics and is poorly quantified. Here, we characterize it at a carbon-rich permafrost site, using a recent technique that retrieves the 3-D structure of snow and its thermal properties. We adapt a snowpack model enabling the simulation of this insulation over a whole winter. We estimate that local snow variations induce up to a 6 °C spread in soil temperatures.
Julia Boike, Inge Juszak, Stephan Lange, Sarah Chadburn, Eleanor Burke, Pier Paul Overduin, Kurt Roth, Olaf Ippisch, Niko Bornemann, Lielle Stern, Isabelle Gouttevin, Ernst Hauber, and Sebastian Westermann
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 355–390, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-355-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-355-2018, 2018
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A 20-year data record from the Bayelva site at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, is presented on meteorology, energy balance components, surface and subsurface observations. This paper presents the data set, instrumentation, calibration, processing and data quality control. The data show that mean annual, summer and winter soil temperature data from shallow to deeper depths have been warming over the period of record, indicating the degradation and loss of permafrost at this site.
Matthias Fuchs, Guido Grosse, Jens Strauss, Frank Günther, Mikhail Grigoriev, Georgy M. Maximov, and Gustaf Hugelius
Biogeosciences, 15, 953–971, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-953-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-953-2018, 2018
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Our paper investigates soil organic carbon and nitrogen in permafrost soils on Sobo-Sise Island and Bykovsky Peninsula in the north of eastern Siberia. We collected and analysed permafrost soil cores and upscaled carbon and nitrogen stocks to landscape level. We found large amounts of carbon and nitrogen stored in these frozen soils, reconstructed sedimentation rates and estimated the potential increase in organic carbon availability if permafrost continues to thaw and active layer deepens.
Simon Zwieback, Steven V. Kokelj, Frank Günther, Julia Boike, Guido Grosse, and Irena Hajnsek
The Cryosphere, 12, 549–564, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-549-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-549-2018, 2018
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We analyse elevation losses at thaw slumps, at which icy sediments are exposed. As ice requires a large amount of energy to melt, one would expect that mass wasting is governed by the available energy. However, we observe very little mass wasting in June, despite the ample energy supply. Also, in summer, mass wasting is not always energy limited. This highlights the importance of other processes, such as the formation of a protective veneer, in shaping mass wasting at sub-seasonal scales.
Kristoffer Aalstad, Sebastian Westermann, Thomas Vikhamar Schuler, Julia Boike, and Laurent Bertino
The Cryosphere, 12, 247–270, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-247-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-247-2018, 2018
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We demonstrate how snow cover data from satellites can be used to constrain estimates of snow distributions at sites in the Arctic. In this effort, we make use of data assimilation to combine the information contained in the snow cover data with a simple snow model. By comparing our snow distribution estimates to independent observations, we find that this method performs favorably. Being modular, this method could be applied to other areas as a component of a larger reanalysis system.
Sarah E. Chadburn, Gerhard Krinner, Philipp Porada, Annett Bartsch, Christian Beer, Luca Belelli Marchesini, Julia Boike, Altug Ekici, Bo Elberling, Thomas Friborg, Gustaf Hugelius, Margareta Johansson, Peter Kuhry, Lars Kutzbach, Moritz Langer, Magnus Lund, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Shushi Peng, Ko Van Huissteden, Tao Wang, Sebastian Westermann, Dan Zhu, and Eleanor J. Burke
Biogeosciences, 14, 5143–5169, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5143-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5143-2017, 2017
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Earth system models (ESMs) are our main tools for understanding future climate. The Arctic is important for the future carbon cycle, particularly due to the large carbon stocks in permafrost. We evaluated the performance of the land component of three major ESMs at Arctic tundra sites, focusing on the fluxes and stocks of carbon.
We show that the next steps for model improvement are to better represent vegetation dynamics, to include mosses and to improve below-ground carbon cycle processes.
Sabrina Marx, Katharina Anders, Sofia Antonova, Inga Beck, Julia Boike, Philip Marsh, Moritz Langer, and Bernhard Höfle
Earth Surf. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-49, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-49, 2017
Revised manuscript has not been submitted
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Global climate warming causes permafrost to warm and thaw, and, consequently, to release the carbon into the atmosphere. Terrestrial laser scanning is evaluated and current methods are extended in the context of monitoring subsidence in Arctic permafrost regions. The extracted information is important to gain a deeper understanding of permafrost-related subsidence processes and provides highly accurate ground-truth data which is necessary for further developing area-wide monitoring methods.
Sebastian Westermann, Maria Peter, Moritz Langer, Georg Schwamborn, Lutz Schirrmeister, Bernd Etzelmüller, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 11, 1441–1463, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1441-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1441-2017, 2017
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We demonstrate a remote-sensing-based scheme estimating the evolution of ground temperature and active layer thickness by means of a ground thermal model. A comparison to in situ observations from the Lena River delta in Siberia indicates that the model is generally capable of reproducing the annual temperature regime and seasonal thawing of the ground. The approach could hence be a first step towards remote detection of ground thermal conditions in permafrost areas.
Sina Muster, Kurt Roth, Moritz Langer, Stephan Lange, Fabio Cresto Aleina, Annett Bartsch, Anne Morgenstern, Guido Grosse, Benjamin Jones, A. Britta K. Sannel, Ylva Sjöberg, Frank Günther, Christian Andresen, Alexandra Veremeeva, Prajna R. Lindgren, Frédéric Bouchard, Mark J. Lara, Daniel Fortier, Simon Charbonneau, Tarmo A. Virtanen, Gustaf Hugelius, Juri Palmtag, Matthias B. Siewert, William J. Riley, Charles D. Koven, and Julia Boike
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 317–348, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-317-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-317-2017, 2017
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Waterbodies are abundant in Arctic permafrost lowlands. Most waterbodies are ponds with a surface area smaller than 100 x 100 m. The Permafrost Region Pond and Lake Database (PeRL) for the first time maps ponds as small as 10 x 10 m. PeRL maps can be used to document changes both by comparing them to historical and future imagery. The distribution of waterbodies in the Arctic is important to know in order to manage resources in the Arctic and to improve climate predictions in the Arctic.
Georgiy Kirillin, Lijuan Wen, and Tom Shatwell
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1895–1909, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1895-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1895-2017, 2017
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We report a first description of the seasonal temperature, mixing, and ice regime in the two largest freshwater lakes of the Tibetan Plateau. We perform a validation of lake model FLake for the parameterization of the Tibetan lake system in regional climate models and present evidence of the absent warming trend in the Tibetan lakes despite significant atmospheric warming. The reason for this unexpected behavior is the significant decrease in solar radiation at the surface.
Lutz Schirrmeister, Georg Schwamborn, Pier Paul Overduin, Jens Strauss, Margret C. Fuchs, Mikhail Grigoriev, Irina Yakshina, Janet Rethemeyer, Elisabeth Dietze, and Sebastian Wetterich
Biogeosciences, 14, 1261–1283, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1261-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1261-2017, 2017
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We investigate late Pleistocene permafrost at the Buor Khaya Peninsula (Laptev Sea, Siberia) for cryolithological, geochemical, and geochronological parameters. The sequences were composed of ice-oversaturated silts and fine-grained sands with 0.2 to 24 wt% of organic matter. The deposition was between 54.1 and 9.7 kyr BP. Due to coastal erosion, the biogeochemical signature of the deposits represents the terrestrial end-member, and is related to organic matter deposited in the marine realm.
Fabian Beermann, Moritz Langer, Sebastian Wetterich, Jens Strauss, Julia Boike, Claudia Fiencke, Lutz Schirrmeister, Eva-Maria Pfeiffer, and Lars Kutzbach
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-117, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-117, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
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This paper aims to quantify pools of inorganic nitrogen in permafrost soils of arctic Siberia and to estimate annual release rates of this nitrogen due to permafrost thaw. We report for the first time stores of inorganic nitrogen in Siberian permafrost soils. These nitrogen stores are important as permafrost thaw can mobilize substantial amounts of nitrogen, potentially changing the nutrient balance of these soils and representing a significant non-carbon permafrost climate feedback.
I. Beck, R. Ludwig, M. Bernier, T. Strozzi, and J. Boike
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 409–421, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-409-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-409-2015, 2015
S. E. Chadburn, E. J. Burke, R. L. H. Essery, J. Boike, M. Langer, M. Heikenfeld, P. M. Cox, and P. Friedlingstein
The Cryosphere, 9, 1505–1521, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1505-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1505-2015, 2015
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In this paper we use a global land-surface model to study the dynamics of Arctic permafrost. We examine the impact of new and improved processes in the model, namely soil depth and resolution, organic soils, moss and the representation of snow. These improvements make the simulated soil temperatures and thaw depth significantly more realistic. Simulations under future climate scenarios show that permafrost thaws more slowly in the new model version, but still a large amount is lost by 2100.
A. Ekici, S. Chadburn, N. Chaudhary, L. H. Hajdu, A. Marmy, S. Peng, J. Boike, E. Burke, A. D. Friend, C. Hauck, G. Krinner, M. Langer, P. A. Miller, and C. Beer
The Cryosphere, 9, 1343–1361, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1343-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1343-2015, 2015
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This paper compares the performance of different land models in estimating soil thermal regimes at distinct cold region landscape types. Comparing models with different processes reveal the importance of surface insulation (snow/moss layer) and soil internal processes (heat/water transfer). The importance of model processes also depend on site conditions such as high/low snow cover, dry/wet soil types.
T. Schneider von Deimling, G. Grosse, J. Strauss, L. Schirrmeister, A. Morgenstern, S. Schaphoff, M. Meinshausen, and J. Boike
Biogeosciences, 12, 3469–3488, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3469-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3469-2015, 2015
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We have modelled the carbon release from thawing permafrost soils under various scenarios of future warming. Our results suggests that up to about 140Pg of carbon could be released under strong warming by end of the century. We have shown that abrupt thaw processes under thermokarst lakes can unlock large amounts of perennially frozen carbon stored in deep deposits (which extend many metres into the soil).
G. Kirillin, M. S. Lorang, T. C. Lippmann, C. C. Gotschalk, and S. Schimmelpfennig
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 2605–2615, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2605-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2605-2015, 2015
S. Chadburn, E. Burke, R. Essery, J. Boike, M. Langer, M. Heikenfeld, P. Cox, and P. Friedlingstein
Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 1493–1508, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-1493-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-1493-2015, 2015
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Permafrost, ground that is frozen for 2 or more years, is found extensively in the Arctic. It stores large quantities of carbon, which may be released under climate warming, so it is important to include it in climate models. Here we improve the representation of permafrost in a climate model land-surface scheme, both in the numerical representation of soil and snow, and by adding the effects of organic soils and moss. Site simulations show significantly improved soil temperature and thaw depth.
M. Langer, S. Westermann, K. Walter Anthony, K. Wischnewski, and J. Boike
Biogeosciences, 12, 977–990, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-977-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-977-2015, 2015
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Methane production rates of Arctic ponds during the freezing period within a typical tundra landscape in northern Siberia are presented. Production rates were inferred by inverse modeling based on measured methane concentrations in the ice cover. Results revealed marked differences in early winter methane production among ponds showing different stages of shore degradation. This suggests that shore erosion can increase methane production of Arctic ponds by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude.
F. Günther, P. P. Overduin, I. A. Yakshina, T. Opel, A. V. Baranskaya, and M. N. Grigoriev
The Cryosphere, 9, 151–178, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-151-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-151-2015, 2015
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Coastal erosion rates at Muostakh Island (eastern Siberian Arctic) have doubled, based on remotely sensed observations of land loss, and therefore the island will disappear prematurely. Based on analyses of seasonal variability of permafrost thaw, thermo-erosion increases by 1.2m per year when summer temperatures rise by 1°C. Due to rapid permafrost thaw, the land surface is subsiding up to 11cm per year, based on comparison of elevation changes and active layer thaw depth.
I. Fedorova, A. Chetverova, D. Bolshiyanov, A. Makarov, J. Boike, B. Heim, A. Morgenstern, P. P. Overduin, C. Wegner, V. Kashina, A. Eulenburg, E. Dobrotina, and I. Sidorina
Biogeosciences, 12, 345–363, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-345-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-345-2015, 2015
J. Lüers, S. Westermann, K. Piel, and J. Boike
Biogeosciences, 11, 6307–6322, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6307-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6307-2014, 2014
S. Yi, K. Wischnewski, M. Langer, S. Muster, and J. Boike
Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 1671–1689, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1671-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1671-2014, 2014
B. Heim, E. Abramova, R. Doerffer, F. Günther, J. Hölemann, A. Kraberg, H. Lantuit, A. Loginova, F. Martynov, P. P. Overduin, and C. Wegner
Biogeosciences, 11, 4191–4210, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4191-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4191-2014, 2014
F. Günther, P. P. Overduin, A. V. Sandakov, G. Grosse, and M. N. Grigoriev
Biogeosciences, 10, 4297–4318, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4297-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4297-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Limnology
Tracing rate and extent of human-induced hypoxia during the last 200 years in the mesotrophic lake, Tiefer See (NE Germany)
Diatom shifts and limnological changes in a Siberian boreal lake: impacts of climate warming and anthropogenic pollution
Biogeochemical functioning of Lake Alaotra (Madagascar): a reset of aquatic carbon sources along the land-ocean gradient
Thermal stratification and meromixis in four dilute temperate zone lakes
Mercury records covering the past 90 000 years from lakes Prespa and Ohrid, SE Europe
Temporary stratification promotes large greenhouse gas emissions in a shallow eutrophic lake
The influence of carbon cycling on oxygen depletion in north-temperate lakes
Conceptual models of dissolved carbon fluxes in a two-layer stratified lake: interannual typhoon responses under extreme climates
Soil-biodegradable plastic films do not decompose in a lake sediment over 9 months of incubation
Anthropogenic activities significantly increase annual greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from temperate headwater streams in Germany
Role of formation and decay of seston organic matter in the fate of methylmercury within the water column of a eutrophic lake
Contrasting activation energies of litter-associated respiration and P uptake drive lower cumulative P uptake at higher temperatures
Rapidly increasing sulfate concentration: a hidden promoter of eutrophication in shallow lakes
The dominant role of sunlight in degrading winter dissolved organic matter from a thermokarst lake in a subarctic peatland
Dissolved organic matter signatures in urban surface waters: spatio-temporal patterns and drivers
Towards a history of Holocene P dynamics for the Northern Hemisphere using lake sediment geochemical records
Methane in the Danube Delta: the importance of spatial patterns and diel cycles for atmospheric emission estimates
Methane oxidation in the waters of a humic-rich boreal lake stimulated by photosynthesis, nitrite, Fe(III) and humics
Porewater δ13CDOC indicates variable extent of degradation in different talik layers of coastal Alaskan thermokarst lakes
Holocene phototrophic community and anoxia dynamics in meromictic Lake Jaczno (NE Poland) using high-resolution hyperspectral imaging and HPLC data
Changing sources and processes sustaining surface CO2 and CH4 fluxes along a tropical river to reservoir system
The relative importance of photodegradation and biodegradation of terrestrially derived dissolved organic carbon across four lakes of differing trophic status
The influences of historic lake trophy and mixing regime changes on long-term phosphorus fraction retention in sediments of deep eutrophic lakes: a case study from Lake Burgäschi, Switzerland
Ice formation on lake surfaces in winter causes warm-season bias of lacustrine brGDGT temperature estimates
Drivers of diffusive CH4 emissions from shallow subarctic lakes on daily to multi-year timescales
High organic carbon burial but high potential for methane ebullition in the sediments of an Amazonian hydroelectric reservoir
Direct O2 control on the partitioning between denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium in lake sediments
Spatial distribution of environmental indicators in surface sediments of Lake Bolshoe Toko, Yakutia, Russia
Ostracods as ecological and isotopic indicators of lake water salinity changes: the Lake Van example
Reviews and syntheses: Dams, water quality and tropical reservoir stratification
Nitrogen cycling in Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie: oscillations between strong and weak export and implications for harmful algal blooms
Distinctive effects of allochthonous and autochthonous organic matter on CDOM spectra in a tropical lake
High-frequency productivity estimates for a lake from free-water CO2 concentration measurements
Nitrification and ammonium dynamics in Taihu Lake, China: seasonal competition for ammonium between nitrifiers and cyanobacteria
Quality transformation of dissolved organic carbon during water transit through lakes: contrasting controls by photochemical and biological processes
Continuous measurement of air–water gas exchange by underwater eddy covariance
Capturing temporal and spatial variability in the chemistry of shallow permafrost ponds
Organic carbon mass accumulation rate regulates the flux of reduced substances from the sediments of deep lakes
Cyanobacterial carbon concentrating mechanisms facilitate sustained CO2 depletion in eutrophic lakes
New insights on resource stoichiometry: assessing availability of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus to bacterioplankton
Spatio-seasonal variability of chromophoric dissolved organic matter absorption and responses to photobleaching in a large shallow temperate lake
Isotopic composition of nitrate and particulate organic matter in a pristine dam reservoir of western India: implications for biogeochemical processes
Bacterial production in subarctic peatland lakes enriched by thawing permafrost
Photochemical mineralisation in a boreal brown water lake: considerable temporal variability and minor contribution to carbon dioxide production
Are flood-driven turbidity currents hot spots for priming effect in lakes?
Organic carbon burial efficiency in a subtropical hydroelectric reservoir
Importance of within-lake processes in affecting the dynamics of dissolved organic carbon and dissolved organic and inorganic nitrogen in an Adirondack forested lake/watershed
Temperature dependence of the relationship between pCO2 and dissolved organic carbon in lakes
The nature of organic carbon in density-fractionated sediments in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (California)
Microbial nutrient limitation in Arctic lakes in a permafrost landscape of southwest Greenland
Ido Sirota, Rik Tjallingii, Sylvia Pinkerneil, Birgit Schroeder, Marlen Albert, Rebecca Kearney, Oliver Heiri, Simona Breu, and Achim Brauer
Biogeosciences, 21, 4317–4339, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4317-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4317-2024, 2024
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Hypoxia has spread in Tiefer See (NE Germany) due to increased human activity. The onset of hypoxia indicated by varve preservation is dated to ~1920 at the lake’s depocenter, which responds faster and more severely to the reduction in oxygen level. The spread of hypoxic conditions is a gradual process that has lasted nearly 100 years, and the chemistry of the sediments shows that the depletion of oxygen in the lake started several decades before the onset of varve preservation.
Amelie Stieg, Boris K. Biskaborn, Ulrike Herzschuh, Andreas Marent, Jens Strauss, Dorothee Wilhelms–Dick, Luidmila A. Pestryakova, and Hanno Meyer
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2470, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2470, 2024
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Globally, lake ecosystems have undergone significant shifts since the 1950s due to human activities. This study offers a unique 220-year sediment record from a remote Siberian boreal lake, revealing the impacts of climate warming and pollution. Multi-proxy analyses, including diatom taxonomy, silicon isotopes, carbon and nitrogen proxies, reveal complex biogeochemical interactions, highlighting the need for further research to mitigate anthropogenic effects on these vital water resources.
Vao Fenotiana Razanamahandry, Alberto Borges, Liesa Brosens, Cedric Morana, Tantely Razafimbelo, Tovonarivo Rafolisy, Gerard Govers, and Steven Bouillon
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2213, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2213, 2024
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A comprehensive survey of the biogeochemistry of the lake Alaotra system showed that the lake and surrounding wetlands acted as a substantial source of new organic carbon (OC), which was exported downstream. Marsh vegetation is the main source of dissolved OC, while phytoplankton contributes to particulate OC pool. The biogeochemical functioning of Lake Alaotra differs from most East African lakes studied, likely due to its large surface area, shallow water depth, and surrounding wetlands.
Elizabeth D. Swanner, Chris Harding, Sajjad A. Akam, Ioan Lascu, Gabrielle Ledesma, Pratik Poudel, Heeyeon Sun, Samuel Duncanson, Karly Bandy, Alex Branham, Liza Bryant-Tapper, Tanner Conwell, Omri Jamison, and Lauren Netz
Biogeosciences, 21, 1549–1562, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1549-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1549-2024, 2024
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Four lakes were thought to be permanently stratified. Years’ worth of data indicate only one lake is permanently stratified. Strong temperature gradients keep it stratified – unusual for a lake in a temperate climate. The lake has elevated oxygen concentrations within the temperature gradient. Rapid development of the gradient in the spring traps oxygen, and oxygen production by photosynthetic organisms during the summer adds more.
Alice R. Paine, Isabel M. Fendley, Joost Frieling, Tamsin A. Mather, Jack H. Lacey, Bernd Wagner, Stuart A. Robinson, David M. Pyle, Alexander Francke, Theodore R. Them II, and Konstantinos Panagiotopoulos
Biogeosciences, 21, 531–556, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-531-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-531-2024, 2024
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Many important processes within the global mercury (Hg) cycle operate over thousands of years. Here, we explore the timing, magnitude, and expression of Hg signals retained in sediments of lakes Prespa and Ohrid over the past ∼90 000 years. Divergent signals suggest that local differences in sediment composition, lake structure, and water balance influence the local Hg cycle and determine the extent to which sedimentary Hg signals reflect local- or global-scale environmental changes.
Thomas A. Davidson, Martin Søndergaard, Joachim Audet, Eti Levi, Chiara Esposito, Tuba Bucak, and Anders Nielsen
Biogeosciences, 21, 93–107, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-93-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-93-2024, 2024
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Shallow lakes and ponds undergo frequent stratification in summer months. Here we studied how this affects greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We found that stratification caused anoxia in the bottom waters, driving increased GHG emissions, in particular methane released as bubbles. In addition, methane and carbon dioxide accumulated in the bottom waters during stratification, leading to large emissions when the lake mixed again.
Austin Delany, Robert Ladwig, Cal Buelo, Ellen Albright, and Paul C. Hanson
Biogeosciences, 20, 5211–5228, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5211-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5211-2023, 2023
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Internal and external sources of organic carbon (OC) in lakes can contribute to oxygen depletion, but their relative contributions remain in question. To study this, we built a two-layer model to recreate processes relevant to carbon for six Wisconsin lakes. We found that internal OC was more important than external OC in depleting oxygen. This shows that it is important to consider both the fast-paced cycling of internally produced OC and the slower cycling of external OC when studying lakes.
Hao-Chi Lin, Keisuke Nakayama, Jeng-Wei Tsai, and Chih-Yu Chiu
Biogeosciences, 20, 4359–4376, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4359-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4359-2023, 2023
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We successfully developed conceptual models to examine how dissolved carbon distributions change with climate within a small subtropical lake, considering both physical and biochemical processes. Typhoons controlled the seasonal and interannual variation in C fluxes due to large amounts of carbon loading and rapid mixing within the whole lake, resulting in the net primary production being 3.14 times higher in typhoon years than in non-typhoon years in Yuan‒Yang Lake.
Sigrid van Grinsven and Carsten Schubert
Biogeosciences, 20, 4213–4220, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4213-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4213-2023, 2023
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Agriculture relies heavily on plastic mulch films, which may be transported to aquatic environments. We investigated the breakdown of soil-biodegradable agricultural mulch films in lake sediments. After 40 weeks, films were intact, and no significant CO2 or CH4 was produced from the biodegradable mulch films. We conclude that the mulch films we used have a low biodegradability in lake sediments. The sediment lacks the microbes needed to break down the biodegradable plastics that were used here.
Ricky Mwangada Mwanake, Gretchen Maria Gettel, Elizabeth Gachibu Wangari, Clarissa Glaser, Tobias Houska, Lutz Breuer, Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, and Ralf Kiese
Biogeosciences, 20, 3395–3422, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3395-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3395-2023, 2023
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Despite occupying <1 %; of the globe, streams are significant sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, we determined anthropogenic effects on GHG emissions from streams. We found that anthropogenic-influenced streams had up to 20 times more annual GHG emissions than natural ones and were also responsible for seasonal peaks. Anthropogenic influences also altered declining GHG flux trends with stream size, with potential impacts on stream-size-based spatial upscaling techniques.
Laura Balzer, Carluvy Baptista-Salazar, Sofi Jonsson, and Harald Biester
Biogeosciences, 20, 1459–1472, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1459-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1459-2023, 2023
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Toxic methylmercury (MeHg) in lakes can be enriched in fish and is harmful for humans. Phytoplankton is the entry point for MeHg into the aquatic food chain. We investigated seasonal MeHg concentrations in plankton of a productive lake. Our results show that high amounts of MeHg occur in algae and suspended matter in lakes and that productive lakes are hot spots of MeHg formation, which is mainly controlled by decomposition of algae organic matter and water-phase redox conditions.
Nathan J. Tomczyk, Amy D. Rosemond, Anna Kaz, and Jonathan P. Benstead
Biogeosciences, 20, 191–204, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-191-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-191-2023, 2023
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Warming is expected to increase rates of microbial metabolism, but the effect of warming on nutrient demand is unclear. Our experiments demonstrate that microbial nutrient uptake increases less with temperature than metabolism, particularly when environmental nutrient concentrations are low. However, our simulation models suggest that warming may actually lead to declines in ecosystem-scale nutrient uptake as warming accelerates the depletion of carbon substrates required for microbial growth.
Chuanqiao Zhou, Yu Peng, Li Chen, Miaotong Yu, Muchun Zhou, Runze Xu, Lanqing Zhang, Siyuan Zhang, Xiaoguang Xu, Limin Zhang, and Guoxiang Wang
Biogeosciences, 19, 4351–4360, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4351-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4351-2022, 2022
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The dramatical increase in SO42- concentration up to 100 mg L-1 in eutrophic lakes has aroused great attention. It enhanced the sulfate reduction to release a large amount of ΣS2- during cyanobacteria decomposition. The Fe2+ released from the iron reduction process is captured by ΣS2-, and finally the combination of iron and P was reduced, promoting the release of endogenous P. Therefore, increasing sulfate concentrations are shown to be a hidden promoter of eutrophication in shallow lakes.
Flora Mazoyer, Isabelle Laurion, and Milla Rautio
Biogeosciences, 19, 3959–3977, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3959-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3959-2022, 2022
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Dissolved organic matter collected at the end of winter from a peatland thermokarst lake was highly transformed and degraded by sunlight, leading to bacterial stimulation and CO2 production, but a fraction was also potentially lost by photoflocculation. Over 18 days, 18 % of the incubated dissolved organic matter was lost under sunlight, while dark bacterial degradation was negligible. Sunlight could have a marked effect on carbon cycling in organic-rich thermokarst lakes after ice-off.
Clara Romero González-Quijano, Sonia Herrero Ortega, Peter Casper, Mark O. Gessner, and Gabriel A. Singer
Biogeosciences, 19, 2841–2853, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2841-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2841-2022, 2022
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Despite today's diversity of methods to measure dissolved organic matter (DOM), its potential to give ecological information about urban surface waters has been underused. We found DOM from urban lakes and ponds to differ greatly from that of urban streams and rivers in composition as well as temporal turnover. Urban land use (the percentage of green space), nutrient supply and point source pollution were the principal drivers of DOM. We suggest including DOM composition in regular monitoring.
Madeleine Moyle, John F. Boyle, and Richard C. Chiverrell
Biogeosciences, 18, 5609–5638, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5609-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5609-2021, 2021
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We reconstruct Holocene landscape P yield and lake water TP concentration for 24 sites across the Northern Hemisphere by applying a process model to published lake sediment geochemical records. We find sites with the same landscape development history show similar geochemical profiles depending on climate, human impact, and other local factors. Our reconstructions can be used to understand present-day terrestrial P cycling, lake water nutrient status, and export of terrestrial P to the oceans.
Anna Canning, Bernhard Wehrli, and Arne Körtzinger
Biogeosciences, 18, 3961–3979, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3961-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3961-2021, 2021
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Inland waters are usually not well restrained in terms of greenhouse gas measurements. One of these regions is the Danube Delta, Romania. Therefore, we measured continuously with sensors to collect high-resolution data for CH4 and O2 throughout the Delta. We found significant variation for all concentrations over the day and night and between regions, as well as large spatial variation throughout all regions, with large CH4 concentrations flowing in from the reed beds to the lakes.
Sigrid van Grinsven, Kirsten Oswald, Bernhard Wehrli, Corinne Jegge, Jakob Zopfi, Moritz F. Lehmann, and Carsten J. Schubert
Biogeosciences, 18, 3087–3101, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3087-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3087-2021, 2021
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Lake Lovojärvi is a nutrient-rich lake with high amounts of methane at the bottom, but little near the top. Methane comes from the sediment and rises up through the water but is consumed by microorganisms along the way. They use oxygen if available, but in deeper water layers, no oxygen was present. There, nitrite, iron and humic substances were used, besides a collaboration between photosynthetic organisms and methane consumers, in which the first produced oxygen for the latter.
Ove H. Meisel, Joshua F. Dean, Jorien E. Vonk, Lukas Wacker, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Han Dolman
Biogeosciences, 18, 2241–2258, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2241-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2241-2021, 2021
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Arctic permafrost lakes form thaw bulbs of unfrozen soil (taliks) beneath them where carbon degradation and greenhouse gas production are increased. We analyzed the stable carbon isotopes of Alaskan talik sediments and their porewater dissolved organic carbon and found that the top layers of these taliks are likely more actively degraded than the deeper layers. This in turn implies that these top layers are likely also more potent greenhouse gas producers than the underlying deeper layers.
Stamatina Makri, Andrea Lami, Luyao Tu, Wojciech Tylmann, Hendrik Vogel, and Martin Grosjean
Biogeosciences, 18, 1839–1856, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1839-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1839-2021, 2021
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Anoxia in lakes is a major growing concern. In this study we applied a multiproxy approach combining high-resolution hyperspectral imaging (HSI) pigment data with specific HPLC data to examine the Holocene evolution and main drivers of lake anoxia and trophic state changes. We find that when human impact was low, these changes were driven by climate and natural lake-catchment evolution. In the last 500 years, increasing human impact has promoted lake eutrophication and permanent anoxia.
Cynthia Soued and Yves T. Prairie
Biogeosciences, 18, 1333–1350, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1333-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1333-2021, 2021
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Freshwater reservoirs emit greenhouse gases (GHGs, CO2 and CH4) to the atmosphere; however, the sources underlying these emissions are numerous, and their magnitude is not well known. This study quantifies surface CO2 and CH4 emissions and all their potential sources in a tropical reservoir. Results highlight the changes in GHG sources along the river–reservoir continuum, with internal metabolism being a key component but highly uncertain and challenging to estimate at an ecosystem scale.
Christopher M. Dempsey, Jennifer A. Brentrup, Sarah Magyan, Lesley B. Knoll, Hilary M. Swain, Evelyn E. Gaiser, Donald P. Morris, Michael T. Ganger, and Craig E. Williamson
Biogeosciences, 17, 6327–6340, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6327-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6327-2020, 2020
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We looked at how terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the watersheds of four different lakes responded to both biodegradation (i.e., microbes) and photodegradation (i.e., sunlight). The traditional paradigm is that biodegradation is more important than photodegradation. Our research shows that, on short timescales (i.e., 7 d), sunlight is more important than microbes in degrading DOC. Interestingly, the lakes had different responses to sunlight based on their trophic status.
Luyao Tu, Paul Zander, Sönke Szidat, Ronald Lloren, and Martin Grosjean
Biogeosciences, 17, 2715–2729, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2715-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2715-2020, 2020
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In a small, deep lake on the Swiss Plateau, net fluxes of labile P fractions in sediments that can be released to surface waters have been predominately controlled by past hypolimnetic anoxic conditions since the early 1900s. More than 40 years of hypolimnetic withdrawal can effectively reduce net P fluxes in sediments and internal P loads but not effectively decrease eutrophication. These findings should likely serve the management of deep eutrophic lakes in temperate zones.
Jiantao Cao, Zhiguo Rao, Fuxi Shi, and Guodong Jia
Biogeosciences, 17, 2521–2536, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2521-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2521-2020, 2020
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BrGDGT distribution in Gonghai Lake is different from surrounding soils, and its derived temperature reflects a mean annual lake water temperature (LWT) that is higher than the mean annual air temperature (AT). The higher mean annual LWT is due to ice formation in winter that prevents thermal exchange between lake water and air.
Joachim Jansen, Brett F. Thornton, Alicia Cortés, Jo Snöälv, Martin Wik, Sally MacIntyre, and Patrick M. Crill
Biogeosciences, 17, 1911–1932, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1911-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1911-2020, 2020
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Lakes are important emitters of the greenhouse gas methane. We use field observations and a model to evaluate the importance of known drivers of methane production and release. Fast and slow changes of the diffusive flux were governed by wind speed and sediment temperature, respectively. Increased turbulence enhanced release, but storms depleted the lakes of gas and limited emissions. Our findings may inform model studies on the effects of weather and climate change on lake methane emissions.
Gabrielle R. Quadra, Sebastian Sobek, José R. Paranaíba, Anastasija Isidorova, Fábio Roland, Roseilson do Vale, and Raquel Mendonça
Biogeosciences, 17, 1495–1505, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1495-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1495-2020, 2020
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Hydropower is expanding in the Amazon Basin, but the potential effects of river damming on carbon fluxes cannot be gauged due to a lack of studies. We quantified, for the first time in an Amazonian reservoir, both organic carbon burial and the concentrations of methane in the sediments. We found that the dual role of sediments as both a carbon sink and methane source may be particularly pronounced in this Amazonian reservoir.
Adeline N. Y. Cojean, Jakob Zopfi, Alan Gerster, Claudia Frey, Fabio Lepori, and Moritz F. Lehmann
Biogeosciences, 16, 4705–4718, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4705-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4705-2019, 2019
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Our results demonstrate the importance of oxygen in regulating the fate of nitrogen (N) in the sediments of Lake Lugano south basin, Switzerland. Hence, our study suggests that, by changing oxygen concentration in bottom waters, the seasonal water column turnover may significantly regulate the partitioning between N removal and N recycling in surface sediments, and it is likely that a similar pattern can be expected in a wide range of environments.
Boris K. Biskaborn, Larisa Nazarova, Lyudmila A. Pestryakova, Liudmila Syrykh, Kim Funck, Hanno Meyer, Bernhard Chapligin, Stuart Vyse, Ruslan Gorodnichev, Evgenii Zakharov, Rong Wang, Georg Schwamborn, Hannah L. Bailey, and Bernhard Diekmann
Biogeosciences, 16, 4023–4049, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4023-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4023-2019, 2019
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To better understand time-series data in lake sediment cores in times of rapidly changing climate, we study within-lake spatial variabilities of environmental indicator data in 38 sediment surface samples along spatial habitat gradients in the boreal deep Lake Bolshoe Toko (Russia). Our methods comprise physicochemical as well as diatom and chironomid analyses. Species diversities vary according to benthic niches, while abiotic proxies depend on river input, water depth, and catchment lithology.
Jeremy McCormack, Finn Viehberg, Derya Akdemir, Adrian Immenhauser, and Ola Kwiecien
Biogeosciences, 16, 2095–2114, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2095-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2095-2019, 2019
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We juxtapose changes in ostracod taxonomy, morphology (noding) and oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) isotopic composition for the last 150 kyr with independent low-resolution salinity proxies. We demonstrate that for Lake Van, salinity is the most important factor influencing the composition of the ostracod assemblage and the formation of nodes on the valves of limnocytherinae species. Ostracod δ18O shows a higher sensibility towards climatic and hydrological variations than the bulk isotopy.
Robert Scott Winton, Elisa Calamita, and Bernhard Wehrli
Biogeosciences, 16, 1657–1671, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1657-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1657-2019, 2019
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A global boom in dam construction throughout the world’s tropics motivated us to review and synthesize information on the water quality impacts of dams with a focus on low-latitude contexts and scope for mitigation. Sediment trapping and reservoir stratification are key process driving chemical and ecological impacts on tropical rivers. We analyze the 54 most-voluminous low-latitude reservoirs and find that stratification seems to be a ubiquitous phenomenon.
Kateri R. Salk, George S. Bullerjahn, Robert Michael L. McKay, Justin D. Chaffin, and Nathaniel E. Ostrom
Biogeosciences, 15, 2891–2907, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2891-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2891-2018, 2018
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This paper highlights dynamic nitrogen cycling in a freshwater estuary, with implications for harmful algal blooms and downstream nitrogen loading. Phytoplankton and microbes actively consumed nitrogen in this system, contributing to recycling of nitrogen within the system and permanent nitrogen removal, respectively. However, delivery of nitrogen from the river and fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by phytoplankton outweighed nitrogen uptake, resulting in variable downstream nitrogen delivery.
Luciana Pena Mello Brandão, Ludmila Silva Brighenti, Peter Anton Staehr, Eero Asmala, Philippe Massicotte, Denise Tonetta, Francisco Antônio Rodrigues Barbosa, Diego Pujoni, and José Fernandes Bezerra-Neto
Biogeosciences, 15, 2931–2943, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2931-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2931-2018, 2018
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Using mesocosms we investigated the effect of the increase in the allochthonous and autochthonous sources of DOM in a tropical lake, in order to simulate its effects on the characteristics of lakes caused by anthropogenic impacts. The seasonal allochthonous input has much larger effects on the lake and, in addition to increasing nutrients, alters the transparency of water and consequently controls the seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton (autochthonous source) and lake ecology.
Maria Provenzale, Anne Ojala, Jouni Heiskanen, Kukka-Maaria Erkkilä, Ivan Mammarella, Pertti Hari, and Timo Vesala
Biogeosciences, 15, 2021–2032, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2021-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2021-2018, 2018
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We extensively tested and refined a direct, high-frequency free-water CO2 measurement method to study the lake net ecosystem productivity. The method was first proposed in 2008, but neglected ever since.
With high-frequency direct methods, we can calculate the lake productivity more precisely, and parameterise its dependency on environmental variables. This helps us expand our knowledge on the carbon cycle in the water, and leads to a better integration of water bodies in carbon budgets.
Justyna J. Hampel, Mark J. McCarthy, Wayne S. Gardner, Lu Zhang, Hai Xu, Guangwei Zhu, and Silvia E. Newell
Biogeosciences, 15, 733–748, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-733-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-733-2018, 2018
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Our paper highlights the importance of dual-nutrient management: nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in lakes with cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms.
Taihu Lake (China) experiences seasonal blooms due to increased input of N and P from field runoff. The main process investigated in our study, nitrification,
is important for N removal through denitrification. We show that nitrification is less efficient during the blooms, due to competition for nutrients between
N microbes and cyanobacteria.
Martin Berggren, Marcus Klaus, Balathandayuthabani Panneer Selvam, Lena Ström, Hjalmar Laudon, Mats Jansson, and Jan Karlsson
Biogeosciences, 15, 457–470, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-457-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-457-2018, 2018
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The quality of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), especially its color, is a defining feature of freshwater ecosystems. We found that colored DOC fractions are surprisingly resistant to natural degradation during water transit through many brown-water lakes. This is explained by the dominance of microbial processes that appear to selectively remove noncolored DOC. However, in lakes where sunlight degradation plays a relatively larger role, significant DOC bleaching occurs.
Peter Berg and Michael L. Pace
Biogeosciences, 14, 5595–5606, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5595-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5595-2017, 2017
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We use the aquatic eddy covariance technique – developed first for benthic O2 flux measurements – right below the air–water interface (~ 4 cm) to determine gas exchange rates and coefficients. This use of the technique is particularly useful in studies of gas exchange and its dynamics and controls. The approach can thus help reduce the recognized problem of large uncertainties linked to gas exchange estimates in traditional aquatic ecosystem studies.
Matthew Q. Morison, Merrin L. Macrae, Richard M. Petrone, and LeeAnn Fishback
Biogeosciences, 14, 5471–5485, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5471-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5471-2017, 2017
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Shallow ponds and lakes are common features in permafrost systems. We show that the chemistry of these water bodies can be dynamic, although the changes are consistent through time between ponds. This synchrony in some water chemistry appears to be related to water level variations. Because hydrological conditions can vary greatly over the course of the year and during a storm, this work underscores the importance of interpreting water samples from these systems within their hydrologic context.
Thomas Steinsberger, Martin Schmid, Alfred Wüest, Robert Schwefel, Bernhard Wehrli, and Beat Müller
Biogeosciences, 14, 3275–3285, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3275-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3275-2017, 2017
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Based on a broad dataset of lake sediment analysis and porewater measurements from various Swiss lakes, this paper argues that the accumulation of organic carbon in the sediment is one of the main driving forces for the generation of reduced substances such as methane and ammonia. These substances significantly contribute to the hypolimnetic oxygen consumption. The relationships presented help to evaluate the scale of the flux of reduced substances where no direct measurements are available.
Ana M. Morales-Williams, Alan D. Wanamaker Jr., and John A. Downing
Biogeosciences, 14, 2865–2875, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2865-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2865-2017, 2017
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Our study investigated the mechanisms sustaining cyanobacteria blooms when CO2 is depleted in lake surface waters. We found that when lake CO2 concentrations drop below those of the atmosphere, cyanobacteria switch on carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), allowing them to actively take up bicarbonate. This may provide bloom-forming cyanobacteria with a competitive advantage over other algae. These results provide insight into the timing and duration of blooms in high-nutrient lakes.
Ana R. A. Soares, Ann-Kristin Bergström, Ryan A. Sponseller, Joanna M. Moberg, Reiner Giesler, Emma S. Kritzberg, Mats Jansson, and Martin Berggren
Biogeosciences, 14, 1527–1539, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1527-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1527-2017, 2017
María Encina Aulló-Maestro, Peter Hunter, Evangelos Spyrakos, Pierre Mercatoris, Attila Kovács, Hajnalka Horváth, Tom Preston, Mátyás Présing, Jesús Torres Palenzuela, and Andrew Tyler
Biogeosciences, 14, 1215–1233, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1215-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1215-2017, 2017
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As first study within my PhD with the general objective to improve and adapt remote sensing algorithms for the estimation of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) content in lakes in a global scale, we carried out this set of measurements and experiments.
This study gives us a better understanding of sources and variability in the optical properties of CDOM in lakes and how photobleaching controls and affects them.
Pratirupa Bardhan, Syed Wajih Ahmad Naqvi, Supriya G. Karapurkar, Damodar M. Shenoy, Siby Kurian, and Hema Naik
Biogeosciences, 14, 767–779, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-767-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-767-2017, 2017
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Although India has the third highest number of dams globally, there is a knowledge gap on the cycling of bioessential elements in such systems. This study (first of its kind) investigates the stable isotopes of nitrate and particulate organic matter in a pristine Indian reservoir. Nitrogen transformations in the anaerobic bottom waters were isotopically characterised. Overall, solar intensity, water depth and redox conditions are the major controls on the biogeochemical cycling in this system.
Bethany N. Deshpande, Sophie Crevecoeur, Alex Matveev, and Warwick F. Vincent
Biogeosciences, 13, 4411–4427, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4411-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4411-2016, 2016
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Subarctic lakes are changing in size as a result of permafrost thawing, resulting in mobilization of soil materials. Our study characterizes the carbon and nutrient regime of a set of thaw lakes and their adjacent permafrost soils in a rapidly degrading landscape, showing how these materials create favorable conditions for aquatic bacterial communities. We discuss the controls over the bacterial community, and demonstrate that gain processes are not a primary control.
Marloes Groeneveld, Lars Tranvik, Sivakiruthika Natchimuthu, and Birgit Koehler
Biogeosciences, 13, 3931–3943, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3931-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3931-2016, 2016
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Temporal variability in the apparent quantum yield of photochemical CDOM mineralisation in a boreal brown water lake was severalfold smaller than previously reported across different lakes. Simulated DIC photoproduction (2012–2014) averaged 2.0 ± 0.1 to 10.3 ± 0.7 g C m−2 yr−1 using the least and most reactive sample, which represented 1 to 8 % of the total mean CO2 emissions. Thus, direct CDOM photomineralisation makes only a minor contribution to mean CO2 emissions from Swedish brown water lakes.
Damien Bouffard and Marie-Elodie Perga
Biogeosciences, 13, 3573–3584, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3573-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3573-2016, 2016
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This survey of an exceptional flood over Lake Geneva challenges the long-standing hypothesis that dense, particle-loaded and oxygenated rivers plunging into lakes necessarily contribute to deep-oxygen replenishment. We identified some river intrusions as hot spots for oxygen consumption, where inputs of fresh river-borne organic matter reactivate the respiration of more refractory lacustrine organic matter in a process referred to as "priming effect".
Raquel Mendonça, Sarian Kosten, Sebastian Sobek, Simone Jaqueline Cardoso, Marcos Paulo Figueiredo-Barros, Carlos Henrique Duque Estrada, and Fábio Roland
Biogeosciences, 13, 3331–3342, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3331-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3331-2016, 2016
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Hydroelectric reservoirs in the tropics emit greenhouse gases but also bury carbon in their sediments. We investigated the efficiency of organic carbon (OC) burial in a large tropical reservoir, using spatially resolved measurements of sediment accumulation, and found that more than half (~ 57 %) of the OC deposited onto the sediment is buried. This high efficiency in OC burial indicates that tropical reservoirs may bury OC more efficiently than natural lakes.
Phil-Goo Kang, Myron J. Mitchell, Patrick J. McHale, Charles T. Driscoll, Shreeram Inamdar, and Ji-Hyung Park
Biogeosciences, 13, 2787–2801, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2787-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2787-2016, 2016
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Lakes play important roles in controlling organic matter derived from watersheds and within-lake production. The organic matter is normally measured by elemental quantities, such as carbon(C) and nitrogen(N), because the two elements are essential for aquatic ecosystems. We observed an decrease of C, but an increase of N in organic matters in a lake. The reason of the different pattern might be that inorganic N in the lake appeared to be recycled to produce organic N due to within-lake processes.
L. Pinho, C. M. Duarte, H. Marotta, and A. Enrich-Prast
Biogeosciences, 13, 865–871, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-865-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-865-2016, 2016
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Unlike the positive relationship reported before between partial pression of carbon dioxide and dissolved organic carbon for lake waters, we found no significant relationship in our low-latitude lakes, despite very broad ranges in both variables. The strength of this relationship declines with increasing water temperature, suggesting substantial differences in carbon cycling in warm lakes, which must be considered when upscaling limnetic carbon cycling to global scales.
S. G. Wakeham and E. A. Canuel
Biogeosciences, 13, 567–582, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-567-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-567-2016, 2016
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Bed sediments from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (CA) were fractionated according to density and analyzed for sediment mass distribution, elemental (C and N) composition, mineral surface area, and stable carbon and radiocarbon isotope compositions of organic carbon (OC) and fatty acids to evaluate the nature of organic carbon in river sediments. These data demonstrate the complex source and age distributions within river sediments.
B. Burpee, J. E. Saros, R. M. Northington, and K. S. Simon
Biogeosciences, 13, 365–374, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-365-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-365-2016, 2016
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This study investigates microbial nutrient limitation patterns across a region of southwest Greenland in relation to environmental factors. Using microbial enzyme activities to infer nutrient limitation patterns, we determined that most lakes are P-limited. Further, P limitation was tightly controlled by lake dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration.
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Short summary
We show that lakes in northern Siberia are very efficient with respect to energy absorption and mixing using measurements as well as numerical modeling. We show that (i) the lakes receive substantial energy for warming from net short-wave radiation; (ii) convective mixing occurs beneath the ice cover, follow beneath the ice cover, following ice break-up, summer, and fall (iii) modeling suggests that the annual mean net heat flux across the bottom sediment boundary is approximately zero.
We show that lakes in northern Siberia are very efficient with respect to energy absorption and...
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