Articles | Volume 23, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4447-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-23-4447-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
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03 Jul 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 03 Jul 2026
| 03 Jul 2026
In-depth characterisation of organic matter thermal lability and composition from Arctic Permafrost thaw slumps
Geological Institute, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Jordon D. Hemingway
Geological Institute, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Negar Haghipour
Geological Institute, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Laboratory for Ion Beam Physics, Department of Physics, ETH Zurich, Otto-Stern-Weg 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
Kirsi H. Keskitalo
School of Geography and Natural Sciences, Northumbria University, Ellison Place, Newcastle upon Tyne UK-NE1 8ST, United Kingdom
Jorien E. Vonk
Earth and Climate, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Timothy I. Eglinton
Geological Institute, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Lisa Bröder
Geological Institute, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 6357–6409, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-6357-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-6357-2026, 2026
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This dataset includes monthly measurements of carbon dioxide and methane exchange between land, water, and the atmosphere from over 1000 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.
Annabeth McCall, Martin Hieronymi, P. Paul Overduin, Lisa Bröder, Julie Lattaud, Rüdiger Röttgers, Irina Overeem, Anne Morgenstern, Guido Grosse, and Bennet Juhls
Biogeosciences, 23, 5921–5942, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5921-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5921-2026, 2026
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Nora Bergner, Grace Marsh, Kevin Barry, Larissa Lacher, Alexander Böhmländer, Joanna Alden, Carina Ahlqvist, Ianina Altshuler, Lisa Bröder, Daniel Farinotti, Lionel Favre, Coline Guillosson, Benjamin Heutte, Kristina Höhler, Roman Pohorsky, Julian Weng, and Julia Schmale
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 10557–10585, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-10557-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-10557-2026, 2026
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Dust from Greenlandic glacial outwash plains can form ice in clouds, a process relevant for climate. Its ice-nucleating activity varies strongly and is largely controlled by small amounts of biological material. During summer, the influence on atmospheric ice-nucleating particles is mostly local. Lower activity compared to other high-latitude dust sources highlights the need to account for regional differences in Arctic dust.
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
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Naoto F. Ishikawa, Hisami Suga, Tessa S. van der Voort, Reto Nyffeler, Nanako O. Ogawa, Negar Haghipour, Lukas Wacker, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Naohiko Ohkouchi
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Nathan Carlier, Matti Barthel, Antoine de Clippele, Lissie Willemijn de Groot, Travis William Drake, Jordon Dennis Hemingway, Yi Hou, José Nlandu Wabakanghanzi, Joseph Zambo Mandea, Pengzhi Zhao, Johan Six, and Kristof Van Oost
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Luisa I. Minich, Dylan Geissbühler, Stefan Tobler, Annegret Udke, Alexander S. Brunmayr, Margaux Moreno Duborgel, Ciriaco McMackin, Lukas Wacker, Philip Gautschi, Negar Haghipour, Markus Egli, Ansgar Kahmen, Jens Leifeld, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Frank Hagedorn
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Madeleine Santos, Lisa Bröder, Matt O'Regan, Iván Hernández-Almeida, Tommaso Tesi, Lukas Bigler, Negar Haghipour, Daniel B. Nelson, Michael Fritz, and Julie Lattaud
Clim. Past, 22, 187–203, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-187-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-187-2026, 2026
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Our study examined how sea ice in the Beaufort Sea has changed over the past 13 000 years to better understand today's rapid losses. By analyzing chemical tracers preserved in seafloor sediments, we found that the Early Holocene was largely ice-free, with warmer waters and lower salinity. Seasonal ice began forming about 7000 years ago and expanded as the climate cooled. These long-term patterns show that continued warming could return the region to mostly ice-free conditions.
Chantal Schmidt, David Mair, Naki Akçar, Marcus Christl, Negar Haghipour, Christof Vockenhuber, Philip Gautschi, Brian McArdell, and Fritz Schlunegger
Earth Surf. Dynam., 14, 33–53, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-33-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-33-2026, 2026
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Our study examines erosion in a small, pre-Alpine basin by using cosmogenic nuclides in river sediments. Based on a dense measuring network we were able to distinguish two main zones: an upper zone with slow erosion of surface material, and a steeper, lower zone where faster erosion is driven by landslides. The data suggests that sediment has been constantly produced over thousands of years, indicating a stable, long-term balance between contrasting erosion processes.
Johanne Lebrun Thauront, Philippa Ascough, Sebastian Doetterl, Negar Haghipour, Pierre Barré, Christian Walter, and Samuel Abiven
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Fire-derived carbon is a form of organic carbon that has a long persistence in soils. However, its persistence at the landscape scale may be underestimated due to lateral and vertical redistribution. We measured fire-derived carbon in soils of a hilly agricultural watershed to identify the result of transport processes on the centennial time-scale. We show that the subsoil stores a large amount of fire-derived carbon and that erosion can redistribute it to localized accumulation zones.
Benedict V. A. Mittelbach, Margot E. White, Timo M. Y. Rhyner, Negar Haghipour, Marie-Elodie Perga, Nathalie Dubois, and Timothy I. Eglinton
Biogeosciences, 22, 6749–6763, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6749-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6749-2025, 2025
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Lakes can emit carbon dioxide but also store carbon in their sediments. In hardwater lakes like Lake Geneva, calcite precipitates in the water column, releasing CO2 to the atmosphere, but upon sinking these particles also transport carbon to the sediment. Using sediment traps and radiocarbon isotopes, we show that much of the precipitated calcite is buried, highlighting an overlooked carbon sink that partly offsets the CO2 outgassing and should be included in lake carbon budgets.
Sarah Paradis, Hannah Gies, Davide Moccia, Julie Lattaud, Lisa Bröder, Negar Haghipour, Antonio Pusceddu, Albert Palanques, Pere Puig, Claudio Lo Iacono, and Timothy I. Eglinton
Biogeosciences, 22, 5921–5941, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-5921-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-5921-2025, 2025
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The Gulf of Palermo features several submarine canyons, where 50–70 % of the organic carbon deposited in them is terrigenous (OC-terr). The contribution of OC-terr generally decreases offshore and across canyons. Rivers deliver OC-terr, which is redistributed by regional currents and intercepted by the farthest down-current canyon, while the other submarine canyons receive terrigenous organic carbon from more distal sources. Bottom trawling also contributes to the transfer of OC-terr down-canyon.
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
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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
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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
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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.
Sarah Paradis, Kai Nakajima, Tessa S. Van der Voort, Hannah Gies, Aline Wildberger, Thomas M. Blattmann, Lisa Bröder, and Timothy I. Eglinton
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 4105–4125, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4105-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4105-2023, 2023
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MOSAIC is a database of global organic carbon in marine sediments. This new version holds more than 21 000 sediment cores and includes new variables to interpret organic carbon distribution, such as sedimentological parameters and biomarker signatures. MOSAIC also stores data from specific sediment and molecular fractions to better understand organic carbon degradation and ageing. This database is continuously expanding, and version control will allow reproducible research outputs.
Thibauld M. Béjard, Andrés S. Rigual-Hernández, José A. Flores, Javier P. Tarruella, Xavier Durrieu de Madron, Isabel Cacho, Neghar Haghipour, Aidan Hunter, and Francisco J. Sierro
Biogeosciences, 20, 1505–1528, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1505-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1505-2023, 2023
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The Mediterranean Sea is undergoing a rapid and unprecedented environmental change. Planktic foraminifera calcification is affected on different timescales. On seasonal and interannual scales, calcification trends differ according to the species and are linked mainly to sea surface temperatures and carbonate system parameters, while comparison with pre/post-industrial assemblages shows that all three species have reduced their calcification between 10 % to 35 % according to the species.
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
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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
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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
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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.
Melissa Sophia Schwab, Hannah Gies, Chantal Valérie Freymond, Maarten Lupker, Negar Haghipour, and Timothy Ian Eglinton
Biogeosciences, 19, 5591–5616, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5591-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5591-2022, 2022
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The majority of river studies focus on headwater or floodplain systems, while often neglecting intermediate river segments. Our study on the subalpine Sihl River bridges the gap between streams and lowlands and demonstrates that moderately steep river segments are areas of significant instream alterations, modulating the export of organic carbon over short distances.
Frédérique M. S. A. Kirkels, Huub M. Zwart, Muhammed O. Usman, Suning Hou, Camilo Ponton, Liviu Giosan, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Francien Peterse
Biogeosciences, 19, 3979–4010, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3979-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3979-2022, 2022
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Soil organic carbon (SOC) that is transferred to the ocean by rivers forms a long-term sink of atmospheric CO2 upon burial on the ocean floor. We here test if certain bacterial membrane lipids can be used to trace SOC through the monsoon-fed Godavari River basin in India. We find that these lipids trace the mobilisation and transport of SOC in the wet season but that these lipids are not transferred far into the sea. This suggests that the burial of SOC on the sea floor is limited here.
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
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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.
Sarah Shakil, Suzanne E. Tank, Jorien E. Vonk, and Scott Zolkos
Biogeosciences, 19, 1871–1890, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1871-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1871-2022, 2022
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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.
Gabriella M. Weiss, Julie Lattaud, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, and Timothy I. Eglinton
Clim. Past, 18, 233–248, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-233-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-233-2022, 2022
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Here we study the elemental signatures of plant wax compounds as well as molecules from algae and bacteria to understand how water sources changed over the last 11 000 years in the northeastern part of Europe surrounding the Baltic Sea. Our results show diversity in plant and aquatic microorganisms following the melting of the large ice sheet that covered northern Europe as the regional climate continued to warm. A shift in water source from ice melt to rain also occurred around the same time.
Blanca Ausín, Negar Haghipour, Elena Bruni, and Timothy Eglinton
Biogeosciences, 19, 613–627, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-613-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-613-2022, 2022
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The preservation and distribution of alkenones – organic molecules produced by marine algae – in marine sediments allows us to reconstruct past variations in sea surface temperature, primary productivity and CO2. Here, we explore the impact of remobilization and lateral transport of sedimentary alkenones on their fate in marine sediments. We demonstrate the pervasive influence of these processes on alkenone-derived environmental signals, compromising the reliability of related paleorecords.
Caroline Welte, Jens Fohlmeister, Melina Wertnik, Lukas Wacker, Bodo Hattendorf, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 17, 2165–2177, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2165-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2165-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Stalagmites are valuable climate archives, but unlike other proxies the use of stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) is still difficult. A stalagmite from the Austrian Alps was analyzed using a new laser ablation method for fast radiocarbon (14C) analysis. This allowed 14C and δ13C to be combined, showing that besides soil and bedrock a third source is contributing during periods of warm, wet climate: old organic matter.
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Editorial statement
This study addresses the fate of permafrost carbon mobilised by retrogressive thaw slumps, one of the most dynamic forms of abrupt Arctic permafrost degradation. Because permafrost carbon feedbacks represent a key uncertainty in climate change projections, improved constraints on the age and stability of thaw-mobilised carbon are of broad scientific relevance. By linking activation energy distributions with thermally resolved radiocarbon measurements, the authors provide a mechanistic perspective on the stability of particulate carbon exported from thaw slumps, offering insights that will be of interest to the wider geoscience community working on Arctic carbon cycling and climate feedbacks.
This study addresses the fate of permafrost carbon mobilised by retrogressive thaw slumps, one...
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.
Abrupt permafrost thaw mobilizes ancient organic matter, which could fuel further warming, yet...
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