Articles | Volume 19, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1871-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1871-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
04 Apr 2022
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 04 Apr 2022
| 04 Apr 2022
Low biodegradability of particulate organic carbon mobilized from thaw slumps on the Peel Plateau, NT, and possible chemosynthesis and sorption effects
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton,
Canada
Suzanne E. Tank
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton,
Canada
Jorien E. Vonk
Department of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the
Netherlands
Scott Zolkos
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton,
Canada
current address: John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied
Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Related authors
No articles found.
Marco A. Bolandini, Jordon D. Hemingway, Negar Haghipour, Kirsi H. Keskitalo, Jorien E. Vonk, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Lisa Bröder
Biogeosciences, 23, 4447–4462, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4447-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4447-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Abrupt permafrost thaw mobilizes ancient organic matter, which could fuel further warming, yet its fate remains uncertain. We studied thaw slumps in Arctic Canada using thermal, radiocarbon, and molecular analyses. Recently thawed debris and runoff exiting the slumps contained old, thermally stable organic matter, compositionally similar to surrounding permafrost. This suggests that much of the thaw-mobilised carbon survives initial transport and may be processed or sequestered downstream.
Christine L. Olson, Kevin Schaefer, Alyssa Azaroff, Hélène Angot, Sasiri Bandara, Thomas A. Douglas, Bo Elberling, Maria Florencia Fahnestock, Xinbin Feng, Charlotte Haugk, Gustaf Hugelius, Erfan Jahangir, Sofi Jonsson, Shichang Kang, Adam Kirkwood, Jennifer Korosi, Igor Lehnherr, Artem Lim, Rinat Manasypov, Dmitriy Moskovchenko, Mina Nasr, Daniel Obrist, David Olefeldt, Connor Olson, Oleg Pokrovsky, Laura Sereni, Sarah Shakil, M. Isabel Smith, Jens Søndergaard, Jeroen Sonke, Kasia Staniszewska, Jens Strauss, Kyra St. Pierre, Lauren Thompson, Andrey Yurtaev, Yanxu Zhang, and Scott Zolkos
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 4509–4522, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-4509-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-4509-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost regions store large amounts of mercury, a toxic pollutant that can be released as the ground warms. We combined thousands of measurements from soils, plants, water, and lake sediments into one open database to better understand where mercury is stored and how it moves. The results show clear differences among environments and reveal major data gaps, helping improve future research, monitoring, and decision-making.
George Tanski, Michael Fritz, Jorien E. Vonk, Jens Strauss, Léo Chassiot, Vladislav Carnero-Bravo, Jade Falardeau, Kostantin Klein, Parick Lajeunesse, Hugues Lantuit, Niek J. Speetjens, Anne de Vernal, Dustin Whalen, and Anna M. Irrgang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2314, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2314, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
As the Arctic warms, permafrost coasts erode rapidly, flushing carbon from frozen ground into the sea. We studied a lagoon in the western Canadian Arctic, collecting sediments and analyzing organic carbon content, stable isotopes, and grain size, alongside satellite imagery. Carbon content fell by over 50 % from land to open ocean, while erosion rates quintupled since the 1950s. Arctic lagoons bury, degrade, and export terrestrial carbon, acting as coastal reactors whose role will grow.
Gabrielle K. F. Hatten, Steven V. Kokelj, Sophie Opfergelt, Duane G. Froese, Alejandro Alvarez, Joseph M. Young, and Suzanne E. Tank
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1844, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1844, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Sorption of organic matter (OM) to recently thawed permafrost sediments can critically alter OM fate. Using 32 sediment samples from a suite of diverse permafrost landscapes, we show that organo-mineral interactions “sort” dissolved OM, enriching the aquatic matrix in labile compounds and increasing biodegradation via shifts in OM composition and nutrient release. Sorption potential varied across and within regions and was tied to sediment characteristics, dictated by landscape history.
Julia Wagner, Juliane Wolter, Justine Ramage, Victoria Martin, Andreas Richter, Niek Jesse Speetjens, Jorien E. Vonk, Rachele Lodi, Annett Bartsch, Michael Fritz, Hugues Lantuit, and Gustaf Hugelius
SOIL, 12, 113–132, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-113-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-113-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost soils store vast amounts of organic carbon, key to understanding climate change. This study uses machine learning and combines existing data with new field data to create detailed regional maps of soil carbon and nitrogen stocks for the Yukon coastal plain. The results show how soil properties vary across the landscape highlighting the importance of data selection for accurate predictions. These findings improve carbon storage estimates and may aid regional carbon budget assessments.
Anna-Maria Virkkala, Isabel Wargowsky, Judith Vogt, McKenzie A. Kuhn, Simran Madaan, Richard O'Keefe, Tiffany Windholz, Kyle A. Arndt, Brendan M. Rogers, Jennifer D. Watts, Kelcy Kent, Mathias Göckede, David Olefeldt, Gerard Rocher-Ros, Edward A. G. Schuur, David Bastviken, Kristoffer Aalstad, Kelly Aho, Joonatan Ala-Könni, Haley Alcock, Inge Althuizen, Christopher D. Arp, Jun Asanuma, Katrin Attermeyer, Mika Aurela, Sivakiruthika Balathandayuthabani, Alan Barr, Maialen Barret, Ochirbat Batkhishig, Christina Biasi, Mats P. Björkman, Andrew Black, Elena Blanc-Betes, Pascal Bodmer, Julia Boike, Abdullah Bolek, Frédéric Bouchard, Ingeborg Bussmann, Lea Cabrol, Eleonora Canfora, Sean Carey, Karel Castro-Morales, Namyi Chae, Andres Christen, Torben R. Christensen, Casper T. Christiansen, Housen Chu, Graham Clark, Francois Clayer, Patrick Crill, Christopher Cunada, Scott J. Davidson, Joshua F. Dean, Sigrid Dengel, Matteo Detto, Catherine Dieleman, Florent Domine, Egor Dyukarev, Colin Edgar, Bo Elberling, Craig A. Emmerton, Eugenie Euskirchen, Grant Falvo, Thomas Friborg, Michelle Garneau, Mariasilvia Giamberini, Mikhail V. Glagolev, Miquel A. Gonzalez-Meler, Gustaf Granath, Jón Guðmundsson, Konsta Happonen, Yoshinobu Harazono, Lorna Harris, Josh Hashemi, Nicholas Hasson, Janna Heerah, Liam Heffernan, Manuel Helbig, Warren Helgason, Michal Heliasz, Greg Henry, Geert Hensgens, Tetsuya Hiyama, Macall Hock, David Holl, Beth Holmes, Jutta Holst, Thomas Holst, Gabriel Hould-Gosselin, Elyn Humphreys, Jacqueline Hung, Jussi Huotari, Hiroki Ikawa, Danil V. Ilyasov, Mamoru Ishikawa, Go Iwahana, Hiroki Iwata, Marcin Antoni Jackowicz-Korczynski, Joachim Jansen, Järvi Järveoja, Vincent E. J. Jassey, Rasmus Jensen, Katharina Jentzsch, Robert G. Jespersen, Carl-Fredrik Johannesson, Chersity P. Jones, Anders Jonsson, Ji Young Jung, Sari Juutinen, Evan Kane, Jan Karlsson, Sergey Karsanaev, Kuno Kasak, Julia Kelly, Kasha Kempton, Marcus Klaus, George W. Kling, Natacha Kljun, Jacqueline Knutson, Hideki Kobayashi, John Kochendorfer, Kukka-Maaria Kohonen, Pasi Kolari, Mika Korkiakoski, Aino Korrensalo, Pirkko Kortelainen, Egle Koster, Kajar Koster, Ayumi Kotani, Praveena Krishnan, Juliya Kurbatova, Lars Kutzbach, Min Jung Kwon, Ethan D. Kyzivat, Jessica Lagroix, Theodore Langhorst, Elena Lapshina, Tuula Larmola, Klaus S. Larsen, Isabelle Laurion, Justin Ledman, Hanna Lee, A. Joshua Leffler, Lance Lesack, Anders Lindroth, David Lipson, Annalea Lohila, Efrén López-Blanco, Vincent L. St. Louis, Erik Lundin, Misha Luoto, Takashi Machimura, Marta Magnani, Avni Malhotra, Marja Maljanen, Ivan Mammarella, Elisa Männistö, Luca Belelli Marchesini, Phil Marsh, Pertti J. Martkainen, Maija E. Marushchak, Mikhail Mastepanov, Alex Mavrovic, Trofim Maximov, Christina Minions, Marco Montemayor, Tomoaki Morishita, Patrick Murphy, Daniel F. Nadeau, Erin Nicholls, Mats B. Nilsson, Anastasia Niyazova, Jenni Nordén, Koffi Dodji Noumonvi, Hannu Nykanen, Walter Oechel, Anne Ojala, Tomohiro Okadera, Sujan Pal, Alexey V. Panov, Tim Papakyriakou, Dario Papale, Sang-Jong Park, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Gilberto Pastorello, Mike Peacock, Matthias Peichl, Roman Petrov, Kyra St. Pierre, Norbert Pirk, Jessica Plein, Vilmantas Preskienis, Anatoly Prokushkin, Jukka Pumpanen, Hilary A. Rains, Niklas Rakos, Aleski Räsänen, Helena Rautakoski, Riika Rinnan, Janne Rinne, Adrian Rocha, Nigel Roulet, Alexandre Roy, Anna Rutgersson, Aleksandr F. Sabrekov, Torsten Sachs, Erik Sahlée, Alejandro Salazar, Henrique Oliveira Sawakuchi, Christopher Schulze, Roger Seco, Armando Sepulveda-Jauregui, Svetlana Serikova, Abbey Serrone, Hanna M. Silvennoinen, Sofie Sjogersten, June Skeeter, Jo Snöälv, Sebastian Sobek, Oliver Sonnentag, Emily H. Stanley, Maria Strack, Lena Strom, Patrick Sullivan, Ryan Sullivan, Anna Sytiuk, Torbern Tagesson, Pierre Taillardat, Julie Talbot, Suzanne E. Tank, Mario Tenuta, Irina Terenteva, Frederic Thalasso, Antoine Thiboult, Halldor Thorgeirsson, Fenix Garcia Tigreros, Margaret Torn, Amy Townsend-Small, Claire Treat, Alain Tremblay, Carlo Trotta, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Merritt Turetsky, Masahito Ueyama, Muhammad Umair, Aki Vähä, Lona van Delden, Maarten van Hardenbroek, Andrej Varlagin, Ruth K. Varner, Elena Veretennikova, Timo Vesala, Tarmo Virtanen, Carolina Voigt, Jorien E. Vonk, Robert Wagner, Katey Walter Anthony, Qinxue Wang, Masataka Watanabe, Hailey Webb, Jeffrey M. Welker, Andreas Westergaard-Nielsen, Sebastian Westermann, Jeffrey R. White, Christian Wille, Scott N. Williamson, Scott Zolkos, Donatella Zona, and Susan M. Natali
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-585, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-585, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
This dataset includes monthly measurements of carbon dioxide and methane exchange between land, water, and the atmosphere from over 1,000 sites in Arctic and boreal regions. It combines measurements from a variety of ecosystems, including wetlands, forests, tundra, lakes, and rivers, gathered by over 260 researchers from 1984–2024. This dataset can be used to improve and reduce uncertainty in carbon budgets in order to strengthen our understanding of climate feedbacks in a warming world.
Jessica A. Serbu, Suzanne E. Tank, Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Xiying Sun, Craig A. Emmerton, and Vincent L. St. Louis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5020, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In water, CO2 can chemically react with (i.e., weather) fine sediment produced as glaciers abrade bedrock. Studying three glacier-fed rivers in the Canadian Rockies across multiple seasons, we found that near glaciers, rivers consumed CO2 mainly via carbonate weathering. Importance of silicate weathering and organic matter decomposition as drivers of CO2 cycling increased downriver. As glaciers retreat, subsequent shifts in river biogeochemistry will affect regional and global carbon budgets.
Ashu Dastoor, Hélène Angot, Johannes Bieser, Flora Brocza, Brock Edwards, Aryeh Feinberg, Xinbin Feng, Benjamin Geyman, Charikleia Gournia, Yipeng He, Ian M. Hedgecock, Ilia Ilyin, Jane Kirk, Che-Jen Lin, Igor Lehnherr, Robert Mason, David McLagan, Marilena Muntean, Peter Rafaj, Eric M. Roy, Andrei Ryjkov, Noelle E. Selin, Francesco De Simone, Anne L. Soerensen, Frits Steenhuisen, Oleg Travnikov, Shuxiao Wang, Xun Wang, Simon Wilson, Rosa Wu, Qingru Wu, Yanxu Zhang, Jun Zhou, Wei Zhu, and Scott Zolkos
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 2747–2860, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-2747-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-2747-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This paper introduces the Multi-Compartment Mercury (Hg) Modeling and Analysis Project (MCHgMAP) aimed at informing the effectiveness evaluations of two multilateral environmental agreements: the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. The experimental design exploits a variety of models (atmospheric, land, oceanic ,and multimedia mass balance models) to assess the short- and long-term influences of anthropogenic Hg releases into the environment.
Hayley F. Drapeau, Suzanne E. Tank, Maria A. Cavaco, Jessica A. Serbu, Vincent L. St. Louis, and Maya P. Bhatia
Biogeosciences, 22, 1369–1391, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1369-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1369-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
From glacial headwaters to 100 km downstream, we found clear organic matter gradients in Canadian Rocky Mountain rivers. In contrast, microbial communities exhibited overall cohesion, indicating that species dispersal may be an over-riding control on community dynamics in these connected rivers. Identification of glacial-specific microbes suggests that glaciers seed headwater microbial assemblages; these findings show the importance of glacial waters and microbiomes in changing mountain systems.
Lucas R. Diaz, Clement J. F. Delcourt, Moritz Langer, Michael M. Loranty, Brendan M. Rogers, Rebecca C. Scholten, Tatiana A. Shestakova, Anna C. Talucci, Jorien E. Vonk, Sonam Wangchuk, and Sander Veraverbeke
Earth Syst. Dynam., 15, 1459–1482, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-1459-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-1459-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study in eastern Siberia investigated how fires affect permafrost thaw depth in larch forests. We found that fire induces deeper thaw, yet this process was mediated by topography and vegetation. By combining field and satellite data, we estimated summer thaw depth across an entire fire scar. This research provides insights into post-fire permafrost dynamics and the use of satellite data for mapping fire-induced permafrost thaw.
Sandra Raab, Karel Castro-Morales, Anke Hildebrandt, Martin Heimann, Jorien Elisabeth Vonk, Nikita Zimov, and Mathias Goeckede
Biogeosciences, 21, 2571–2597, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2571-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2571-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Water status is an important control factor on sustainability of Arctic permafrost soils, including production and transport of carbon. We compared a drained permafrost ecosystem with a natural control area, investigating water levels, thaw depths, and lateral water flows. We found that shifts in water levels following drainage affected soil water availability and that lateral transport patterns were of major relevance. Understanding these shifts is crucial for future carbon budget studies.
Kirsi H. Keskitalo, Lisa Bröder, Tommaso Tesi, Paul J. Mann, Dirk J. Jong, Sergio Bulte Garcia, Anna Davydova, Sergei Davydov, Nikita Zimov, Negar Haghipour, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Jorien E. Vonk
Biogeosciences, 21, 357–379, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-357-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-357-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost thaw releases organic carbon into waterways. Decomposition of this carbon pool emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, enhancing climate warming. We show that Arctic river carbon and water chemistry are different between the spring ice breakup and summer and that primary production is initiated in small Arctic rivers right after ice breakup, in contrast to in large rivers. This may have implications for fluvial carbon dynamics and greenhouse gas uptake and emission balance.
Martine Lizotte, Bennet Juhls, Atsushi Matsuoka, Philippe Massicotte, Gaëlle Mével, David Obie James Anikina, Sofia Antonova, Guislain Bécu, Marine Béguin, Simon Bélanger, Thomas Bossé-Demers, Lisa Bröder, Flavienne Bruyant, Gwénaëlle Chaillou, Jérôme Comte, Raoul-Marie Couture, Emmanuel Devred, Gabrièle Deslongchamps, Thibaud Dezutter, Miles Dillon, David Doxaran, Aude Flamand, Frank Fell, Joannie Ferland, Marie-Hélène Forget, Michael Fritz, Thomas J. Gordon, Caroline Guilmette, Andrea Hilborn, Rachel Hussherr, Charlotte Irish, Fabien Joux, Lauren Kipp, Audrey Laberge-Carignan, Hugues Lantuit, Edouard Leymarie, Antonio Mannino, Juliette Maury, Paul Overduin, Laurent Oziel, Colin Stedmon, Crystal Thomas, Lucas Tisserand, Jean-Éric Tremblay, Jorien Vonk, Dustin Whalen, and Marcel Babin
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1617–1653, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1617-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1617-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost thaw in the Mackenzie Delta region results in the release of organic matter into the coastal marine environment. What happens to this carbon-rich organic matter as it transits along the fresh to salty aquatic environments is still underdocumented. Four expeditions were conducted from April to September 2019 in the coastal area of the Beaufort Sea to study the fate of organic matter. This paper describes a rich set of data characterizing the composition and sources of organic matter.
Niek Jesse Speetjens, Gustaf Hugelius, Thomas Gumbricht, Hugues Lantuit, Wouter R. Berghuijs, Philip A. Pika, Amanda Poste, and Jorien E. Vonk
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 541–554, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-541-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-541-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Arctic is rapidly changing. Outside the Arctic, large databases changed how researchers look at river systems and land-to-ocean processes. We present the first integrated pan-ARctic CAtchments summary DatabasE (ARCADE) (> 40 000 river catchments draining into the Arctic Ocean). It incorporates information about the drainage area with 103 geospatial, environmental, climatic, and physiographic properties and covers small watersheds , which are especially subject to change, at a high resolution
Dirk Jong, Lisa Bröder, Tommaso Tesi, Kirsi H. Keskitalo, Nikita Zimov, Anna Davydova, Philip Pika, Negar Haghipour, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Jorien E. Vonk
Biogeosciences, 20, 271–294, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-271-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-271-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
With this study, we want to highlight the importance of studying both land and ocean together, and water and sediment together, as these systems function as a continuum, and determine how organic carbon derived from permafrost is broken down and its effect on global warming. Although on the one hand it appears that organic carbon is removed from sediments along the pathway of transport from river to ocean, it also appears to remain relatively ‘fresh’, despite this removal and its very old age.
Niek Jesse Speetjens, George Tanski, Victoria Martin, Julia Wagner, Andreas Richter, Gustaf Hugelius, Chris Boucher, Rachele Lodi, Christian Knoblauch, Boris P. Koch, Urban Wünsch, Hugues Lantuit, and Jorien E. Vonk
Biogeosciences, 19, 3073–3097, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3073-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3073-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change and warming in the Arctic exceed global averages. As a result, permanently frozen soils (permafrost) which store vast quantities of carbon in the form of dead plant material (organic matter) are thawing. Our study shows that as permafrost landscapes degrade, high concentrations of organic matter are released. Partly, this organic matter is degraded rapidly upon release, while another significant fraction enters stream networks and enters the Arctic Ocean.
David Olefeldt, Mikael Hovemyr, McKenzie A. Kuhn, David Bastviken, Theodore J. Bohn, John Connolly, Patrick Crill, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Sarah A. Finkelstein, Hélène Genet, Guido Grosse, Lorna I. Harris, Liam Heffernan, Manuel Helbig, Gustaf Hugelius, Ryan Hutchins, Sari Juutinen, Mark J. Lara, Avni Malhotra, Kristen Manies, A. David McGuire, Susan M. Natali, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Aleksi Räsänen, Christina Schädel, Oliver Sonnentag, Maria Strack, Suzanne E. Tank, Claire Treat, Ruth K. Varner, Tarmo Virtanen, Rebecca K. Warren, and Jennifer D. Watts
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5127–5149, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5127-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5127-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Wetlands, lakes, and rivers are important sources of the greenhouse gas methane to the atmosphere. To understand current and future methane emissions from northern regions, we need maps that show the extent and distribution of specific types of wetlands, lakes, and rivers. The Boreal–Arctic Wetland and Lake Dataset (BAWLD) provides maps of five wetland types, seven lake types, and three river types for northern regions and will improve our ability to predict future methane emissions.
Cited articles
Abbott, B. W., Larouche, J. R., Jones, J. B., Bowden, W. B., and Balser, A.
W.: Elevated dissolved organic carbon biodegradability from thawing and
collapsing permafrost, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 119, 2049–2063,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JG002678, 2014.
Attermeyer, K., Catalán, N., Einarsdottir, K., Freixa, A., Groeneveld,
M., Hawkes, J. A., Bergquist, J., and Tranvik, L. J.: Organic Carbon
Processing During Transport Through Boreal Inland Waters: Particles as
Important Sites, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 123, 2412–2428,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004500, 2018.
Berggren, M., Lapierre, J.-F., and del Giorgio, P. A.: Magnitude and
regulation of bacterioplankton respiratory quotient across freshwater
environmental gradients, ISME J., 6, 984–993,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2011.157, 2012.
Bock, E. and Wagner, M.: Oxidation of Inorganic Nitrogen Compounds as an
Energy Source, in: The Prokaryotes, edited by: Rosenberg, E., DeLong, E. F.,
Lory, S., Stackebrandt, E., and Thompson, F., Springer Berlin Heidelberg,
Berlin, Heidelberg, 83–118,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30141-4_64, 2013.
Bröder, L., Keskitalo, K., Zolkos, S., Shakil, S., Tank, S. E., Kokelj,
S. V., Tesi, T., van Dongen, B. E., Haghipour, N., Eglinton, T. I., and
Vonk, J. E.: Preferential export of permafrost-derived organic matter as
retrogressive thaw slumping intensifies, Environ. Res. Lett., 16, 054059,
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abee4b, 2021.
Burd, K., Estop-Aragonés, C., Tank, S. E., and Olefeldt, D.: Lability of
dissolved organic carbon from boreal peatlands: interactions between
permafrost thaw, wildfire, and season, Can. J. Soil Sci., 100, 1–13,
https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2019-0154, 2020.
Calmels, D., Gaillardet, J., Brenot, A., and France-Lanord, C.: Sustained
sulfide oxidation by physical erosion processes in the Mackenzie River
basin: Climatic perspectives, Geology, 35, 1003,
https://doi.org/10.1130/G24132A.1, 2007.
Coble, P. G.: Marine Optical Biogeochemistry: The Chemistry of Ocean Color,
Chem. Rev., 107, 402–418, 2007.
Duk-Rodkin, A. and Hughes, O. L.: Surficial geology, Fort McPherson-Bell
River, Yukon-Northwest Territories, Geol. Surv. Can., Series Map 1745A, https://doi.org/10.4095/184002, 1992.
Groeneveld, M., Catalán, N., Attermeyer, K., Hawkes, J.,
Einarsdóttir, K., Kothawala, D., Bergquist, J., and Tranvik, L.:
Selective Adsorption of Terrestrial Dissolved Organic Matter to Inorganic
Surfaces Along a Boreal Inland Water Continuum, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 125, e2019JG005236, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005236,
2020.
Helms, J. R., Stubbins, A., Ritchie, J. D., Minor, E. C., Kieber, D. J., and
Mopper, K.: Absorption spectral slopes and slope ratios as indicators of
molecular weight, source, and photobleaching of chromophoric dissolved
organic matter, Limnol. Oceanogr., 53, 955–969,
https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2008.53.3.0955, 2008.
Hemingway, J. D., Rothman, D. H., Grant, K. E., Rosengard, S. Z., Eglinton,
T. I., Derry, L. A., and Galy, V. V.: Mineral protection regulates long-term
global preservation of natural organic carbon, Nature, 570, 228–231,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1280-6, 2019.
Hugelius, G., Strauss, J., Zubrzycki, S., Harden, J. W., Schuur, E. A. G.,
Ping, C.-L., Schirrmeister, L., Grosse, G., Michaelson, G. J., Koven, C. D.,
O'Donnell, J. A., Elberling, B., Mishra, U., Camill, P., Yu, Z.,
Palmtag, J., and Kuhry, P.: Estimated stocks of circumpolar permafrost
carbon with quantified uncertainty ranges and identified data gaps,
Biogeosciences, 11, 6573–6593, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6573-2014,
2014.
Huguet, A., Vacher, L., Relexans, S., Saubusse, S., Froidefond, J. M., and
Parlanti, E.: Properties of fluorescent dissolved organic matter in the
Gironde Estuary, Org. Geochem., 40, 706–719,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2009.03.002, 2009.
Keskitalo, K. H., Bröder, L., Shakil, S., Zolkos, S., Tank, S. E., van
Dongen, B. E., Tesi, T., Haghipour, N., Eglinton, T. I., Kokelj, S. V., and
Vonk, J. E.: Downstream Evolution of Particulate Organic Matter Composition
From Permafrost Thaw Slumps, Front. Earth Sci., 9, 181,
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.642675, 2021.
Klatt, J. M. and Polerecky, L.: Assessment of the stoichiometry and
efficiency of CO2 fixation coupled to reduced sulfur oxidation, Front.
Microbiol., 6, 484, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00484, 2015.
Kokelj, S. V., Kokoszka, J., van der Sluijs, J., Rudy, A. C. A.,
Tunnicliffe, J., Shakil, S., Tank, S. E., and Zolkos, S.: Thaw-driven mass
wasting couples slopes with downstream systems, and effects propagate
through Arctic drainage networks, The Cryosphere, 15, 3059–3081,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3059-2021, 2021.
Kothawala, D. N., Kellerman, A. M., Catalán, N., and Tranvik, L. J.:
Organic Matter Degradation across Ecosystem Boundaries: The Need for a
Unified Conceptualization, Trends Ecol. Evol., 36, 113–122,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.10.006, 2021.
Lacelle, D., Fontaine, M., Pellerin, A., Kokelj, S. V., and Clark, I. D.:
Legacy of Holocene Landscape Changes on Soil Biogeochemistry: A Perspective
From Paleo-Active Layers in Northwestern Canada, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 124, 2662–2679, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004916, 2019.
Lenth, R. V.: emmeans: Estimated Marginal Means, aka Least-Squares Means. R
package version 1.6.0, https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=emmeans, last access: 1 June 2021.
Leewis, M.-C., Berlemont, R., Podgorski, D. C., Srinivas, A., Zito, P., Spencer, R. G. M., McFarland, J., Douglas, T. A., Conaway, C. H., Waldrop, M., and Mackelprang, R.: Life at the Frozen Limit: Microbial Carbon Metabolism Across a Late Pleistocene Permafrost Chronosequence, Front. Microbiol., 11, 1753, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01753, 2020.
Li, Y., Wu, Z., Dong, X., Xu, Z., Zhang, Q., Su, H., Jia, Z., and Sun, Q.: Pyrite oxidization accelerates bacterial carbon sequestration in copper mine tailings, Biogeosciences, 16, 573–583, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-573-2019, 2019.
Littlefair, C. A. and Tank, S. E.: Biodegradability of Thermokarst Carbon in
a Till-Associated, Glacial Margin Landscape: The Case of the Peel Plateau,
NWT, Canada, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 123, 3293–3307,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004461, 2018.
Littlefair, C. A., Tank, S. E., and Kokelj, S. V.: Retrogressive thaw slumps
temper dissolved organic carbon delivery to streams of the Peel Plateau,
NWT, Canada, Biogeosciences, 14, 5487–5505,
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5487-2017, 2017.
Mann, P. J., Eglinton, T. I., McIntyre, C. P., Zimov, N., Davydova, A.,
Vonk, J. E., Holmes, R. M., and Spencer, R. G. M.: Utilization of ancient
permafrost carbon in headwaters of Arctic fluvial networks, Nat. Commun., 6,
7856, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8856, 2015.
Nelson, D. C., Jørgensen, B. B., and Revsbech, N. P.: Growth Pattern and
Yield of a Chemoautotrophic Beggiatoa sp. in Oxygen-Sulfide Microgradients,
Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 52, 225–233, 1986.
Norris, D. K.: Geology of the Northern Yukon and Northwestern District of
Mackenzie Ottawa, Canada, Geol. Surv. Can., Series Map 1581A, https://doi.org/10.4095/120537, 1985.
Ohno, T.: Fluorescence Inner-Filtering Correction for Determining the
Humification Index of Dissolved Organic Matter, Environ. Sci. Technol., 36,
742–746, https://doi.org/10.1021/es0155276, 2002.
Olefeldt, D., Goswami, S., Grosse, G., Hayes, D., Hugelius, G., Kuhry, P.,
McGuire, A. D., Romanovsky, V. E., Sannel, A. B. K., Schuur, E. A. G., and
Turetsky, M. R.: Circumpolar distribution and carbon storage of thermokarst
landscapes, Nat. Commun., 7, 13043, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13043,
2016.
Opfergelt, S.: The next generation of climate model should account for the
evolution of mineral-organic interactions with permafrost thaw, Environ.
Res. Lett., 15, 091003, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9a6d, 2020.
Osburn, C. L., Handsel, L. T., Mikan, M. P., Paerl, H. W., and Montgomery,
M. T.: Fluorescence Tracking of Dissolved and Particulate Organic Matter
Quality in a River-Dominated Estuary, Environ. Sci. Technol., 46,
8628–8636, https://doi.org/10.1021/es3007723, 2012.
Percak-Dennett, E., He, S., Converse, B., Konishi, H., Xu, H., Corcoran, A.,
Noguera, D., Chan, C., Bhattacharyya, A., Borch, T., Boyd, E., and Roden, E.
E.: Microbial acceleration of aerobic pyrite oxidation at circumneutral pH,
Geobiology, 15, 690–703, https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12241, 2017.
Peter, S., Isidorova, A., and Sobek, S.: Enhanced carbon loss from anoxic
lake sediment through diffusion of dissolved organic carbon, J. Geophys.
Res.-Biogeo., 121, 1959–1977, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003425,
2016.
Poulin, B. A., Ryan, J. N., and Aiken, G. R.: Effects of Iron on Optical
Properties of Dissolved Organic Matter, Environ. Sci. Technol., 48,
10098–10106, https://doi.org/10.1021/es502670r, 2014.
Richardson, D. C., Newbold, J. D., Aufdenkampe, A. K., Taylor, P. G., and
Kaplan, L. A.: Measuring heterotrophic respiration rates of suspended
particulate organic carbon from stream ecosystems: Measuring respiration
rates of POC, Limnol. Oceanogr. Methods, 11, 247–261,
https://doi.org/10.4319/lom.2013.11.247, 2013.
Schädel, C., Bader, M. K.-F., Schuur, E. A. G., Biasi, C., Bracho, R.,
Čapek, P., De Baets, S., Diáková, K., Ernakovich, J.,
Estop-Aragones, C., Graham, D. E., Hartley, I. P., Iversen, C. M., Kane, E.,
Knoblauch, C., Lupascu, M., Martikainen, P. J., Natali, S. M., Norby, R. J.,
O'Donnell, J. A., Chowdhury, T. R., Šantrůčková, H., Shaver,
G., Sloan, V. L., Treat, C. C., Turetsky, M. R., Waldrop, M. P., and
Wickland, K. P.: Potential carbon emissions dominated by carbon dioxide from
thawed permafrost soils, Nat. Clim. Change, 6, 950–953,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3054, 2016.
Schuur, E. A. G., McGuire, A. D., Schädel, C., Grosse, G., Harden, J.
W., Hayes, D. J., Hugelius, G., Koven, C. D., Kuhry, P., Lawrence, D. M.,
Natali, S. M., Olefeldt, D., Romanovsky, V. E., Schaefer, K., Turetsky, M.
R., Treat, C. C., and Vonk, J. E.: Climate change and the permafrost carbon
feedback, Nature, 520, 171–179, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14338, 2015.
Segal, R. A., Lantz, T. C., and Kokelj, S. V.: Acceleration of thaw slump
activity in glaciated landscapes of the Western Canadian Arctic, Environ.
Res. Lett., 11, 034025, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/3/034025, 2016.
Shakil, S., Tank, S. E., Kokelj, S. V., Vonk, J. E., and Zolkos, S.:
Particulate dominance of organic carbon mobilization from thaw slumps on the
Peel Plateau, NT: Quantification and implications for stream systems and
permafrost carbon release, Environ. Res. Lett., 15, 114019,
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abac36, 2020.
Shakil, S., Tank, S., Vonk, J., and Zolkos, S.: Incubation Data Assessing Biodegradability of Organic Carbon Mobilized from Permafrost Thaw Slumps (Peel Plateau, NT, Canada), Waterloo, Canada: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN), https://doi.org/10.21963/13237, 2021.
Sinha, B. and Annachhatre, A. P.: Partial nitrification – operational
parameters and microorganisms involved, Rev. Environ. Sci. Biotechnol., 6,
285–313, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-006-9116-x, 2007.
Spencer, R. G. M., Mann, P. J., Dittmar, T., Eglinton, T. I., McIntyre, C., Holmes, R. M., Zimov, N., and Stubbins, A.: Detecting the signature of permafrost thaw in Arctic rivers, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 2830–2835, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL063498, 2015.
Spona-Friedl, M., Braun, A., Huber, C., Eisenreich, W., Griebler, C.,
Kappler, A., and Elsner, M.: Substrate-dependent CO2 fixation in
heterotrophic bacteria revealed by stable isotope labelling, FEMS Microbiol.
Ecol., 96, fiaa080, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaa080, 2020.
Stolper, D. A., Revsbech, N. P., and Canfield, D. E.: Aerobic growth at
nanomolar oxygen concentrations, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 107, 18755–18760,
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1013435107, 2010.
Stumm, W. and Morgan, J. J.: Aquatic Chemistry: Chemical Equilibria and
Rates in Natural Waters, John Wiley & Sons, 884 pp., ISBN 978-0-471-51185-4, 2012.
Tank, S. E., Vonk, J. E., Walvoord, M. A., McClelland, J. W., Laurion, I.,
and Abbott, B. W.: Landscape matters: Predicting the biogeochemical effects
of permafrost thaw on aquatic networks with a state factor approach,
Permafr. Periglac. Process., 31, 358–370, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2057,
2020.
Tanski, G., Lantuit, H., Ruttor, S., Knoblauch, C., Radosavljevic, B.,
Strauss, J., Wolter, J., Irrgang, A. M., Ramage, J., and Fritz, M.:
Transformation of terrestrial organic matter along thermokarst-affected
permafrost coasts in the Arctic, Sci. Total Environ., 581/582, 434–447,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.12.152, 2017.
Tanski, G., Wagner, D., Knoblauch, C., Fritz, M., Sachs, T., and Lantuit,
H.: Rapid CO2 Release From Eroding Permafrost in Seawater, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 46, 11244–11252, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL084303, 2019.
Tesi, T., Semiletov, I., Dudarev, O., Andersson, A., and Gustafsson, Ö.:
Matrix association effects on hydrodynamic sorting and degradation of
terrestrial organic matter during cross-shelf transport in the Laptev and
East Siberian shelf seas, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 121, 731–752,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JG003067, 2016.
Turetsky, M. R., Abbott, B. W., Jones, M. C., Anthony, K. W., Olefeldt, D.,
Schuur, E. A. G., Grosse, G., Kuhry, P., Hugelius, G., Koven, C., Lawrence,
D. M., Gibson, C., Sannel, A. B. K., and McGuire, A. D.: Carbon release
through abrupt permafrost thaw, Nat. Geosci., 13, 138–143,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0526-0, 2020.
Vachon, D., Sadro, S., Bogard, M. J., Lapierre, J.-F., Baulch, H. M., Rusak,
J. A., Denfeld, B. A., Laas, A., Klaus, M., Karlsson, J., Weyhenmeyer, G.
A., and Giorgio, P. A. del: Paired O2–CO2 measurements provide emergent
insights into aquatic ecosystem function, Limnol. Oceanogr. Lett., 5,
287–294, https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10135, 2020.
Vonk, J. E., Mann, P. J., Davydov, S., Davydova, A., Spencer, R. G. M.,
Schade, J., Sobczak, W. V., Zimov, N., Zimov, S., Bulygina, E., Eglinton, T.
I., and Holmes, R. M.: High biolability of ancient permafrost carbon upon
thaw, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 2689–2693,
https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50348, 2013.
Vonk, J. E., Tank, S. E., Mann, P. J., Spencer, R. G. M., Treat, C. C.,
Striegl, R. G., Abbott, B. W., and Wickland, K. P.: Biodegradability of
dissolved organic carbon in permafrost soils and aquatic systems: a
meta-analysis, Biogeosciences, 12, 6915–6930,
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-6915-2015, 2015a.
Vonk, J. E., Tank, S. E., Bowden, W. B., Laurion, I., Vincent, W. F.,
Alekseychik, P., Amyot, M., Billet, M. F., Canário, J., Cory, R. M.,
Deshpande, B. N., Helbig, M., Jammet, M., Karlsson, J., Larouche, J.,
MacMillan, G., Rautio, M., Walter Anthony, K. M., and Wickland, K. P.:
Reviews and syntheses: Effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic
ecosystems, Biogeosciences, 12, 7129–7167,
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7129-2015, 2015b.
Ward, B. B.: Nitrification, in: Encyclopedia of Ecology, Elsevier, 351–358, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.00697-7, 2013.
Weishaar, J. L., Aiken, G. R., Bergamaschi, B. A., Fram, M. S., Fujii, R.,
and Mopper, K.: Evaluation of Specific Ultraviolet Absorbance as an
Indicator of the Chemical Composition and Reactivity of Dissolved Organic
Carbon, Environ. Sci. Technol., 37, 4702–4708,
https://doi.org/10.1021/es030360x, 2003.
Wickland, K. P., Waldrop, M. P., Aiken, G. R., Koch, J. C., Jorgenson, M.
T., and Striegl, R. G.: Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen release from
boreal Holocene permafrost and seasonally frozen soils of Alaska, Environ.
Res. Lett., 13, 065011, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aac4ad, 2018.
Wologo, E., Shakil, S., Zolkos, S., Textor, S., Ewing, S., Klassen, J.,
Spencer, R. G. M., Podgorski, D. C., Tank, S. E., Baker, M. A., O'Donnell,
J. A., Wickland, K. P., Foks, S. S. W., Zarnetske, J. P., Lee-Cullin, J.,
Liu, F., Yang, Y., Kortelainen, P., Kolehmainen, J., Dean, J. F., Vonk, J.
E., Holmes, R. M., Pinay, G., Powell, M. M., Howe, J., Frei, R. J.,
Bratsman, S. P., and Abbott, B. W.: Stream Dissolved Organic Matter in
Permafrost Regions Shows Surprising Compositional Similarities but Negative
Priming and Nutrient Effects, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 35, e2020GB006719,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GB006719, 2021.
Zar, J. H.: Biostatistical Analysis, 5th Edn., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle
River, N.J., 944 pp., ISBN 9780131008465, 2010.
Zolkos, S. and Tank, S. E.: Experimental Evidence That Permafrost Thaw
History and Mineral Composition Shape Abiotic Carbon Cycling in
Thermokarst-Affected Stream Networks, Front. Earth Sci., 8, 152,
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00152, 2020.
Zolkos, S., Tank, S. E., and Kokelj, S. V.: Mineral Weathering and the
Permafrost Carbon-Climate Feedback, Geophys. Res. Lett., 45, 9623–9632,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL078748, 2018.
Zolkos, S., Tank, S. E., Striegl, R. G., and Kokelj, S. V.: Thermokarst
Effects on Carbon Dioxide and Methane Fluxes in Streams on the Peel Plateau
(NWT, Canada), J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 124, 1781–1798,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005038, 2019.
Zolkos, S., Tank, S. E., Striegl, R. G., Kokelj, S. V., Kokoszka, J.,
Estop-Aragonés, C., and Olefeldt, D.: Thermokarst amplifies fluvial
inorganic carbon cycling and export across watershed scales on the Peel
Plateau, Canada, Biogeosciences, 17, 5163–5182,
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5163-2020, 2020.
Short summary
Permafrost thaw-driven landslides in the western Arctic are increasing organic carbon delivered to headwaters of drainage networks in the western Canadian Arctic by orders of magnitude. Through a series of laboratory experiments, we show that less than 10 % of this organic carbon is likely to be mineralized to greenhouse gases during transport in these networks. Rather most of the organic carbon is likely destined for burial and sequestration for centuries to millennia.
Permafrost thaw-driven landslides in the western Arctic are increasing organic carbon delivered...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint