Comparison of Soil Organic Matter Transformation Processes in Different Alpine Ecosystems in the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Abstract. The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) accounts for approximately 70 % of global alpine permafrost and is an area sensitive to climate change. The thawing and mobilization of ice-rich and organic-carbon-rich permafrost impact hydrologic conditions and biogeochemical processes on the QTP. Despite numerous studies of Arctic permafrost, there are no reports to date for the molecular-level in-stream processing of permafrost-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the QTP. In this study, we examine temporal and spatial changes of DOM along an alpine stream (3850–3207 m above sea level) by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and UV–visible spectroscopy. Compared to downstream sites, dissolved organic matter (DOM) at the headstream site exhibited older radiocarbon age, higher mean molecular weight, higher aromaticity and fewer highly unsaturated compounds. At the molecular level, 6409 and 1345 formulas were identified as unique to the active layer (AL) leachate and permafrost layer (PL) leachate, respectively. Comparing permafrost leachates to the downstream site, 59 % of AL-specific formulas and 90 % of PL-specific formulas were degraded, likely a result of rapid in-stream degradation of permafrost-derived DOM. From peak discharge in the summer to low flow in late autumn, the DOC concentration at the headstream site decreased from 13.9 to 10.2 mg L−1, while the 14C age increased from 745 to 1560 years before present (BP), reflecting an increase in the relative contribution of deep permafrost carbon due to the effect of changing hydrological conditions over the course of the summer on the DOM source (AL vs. PL). Our study thus demonstrates that hydrological conditions impact the mobilization of permafrost carbon in an alpine fluvial network, the signature of which is quickly lost through in-stream mineralization and transformation.

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Markers of Soil Organic Matter Transformation in Permafrost Peat Mounds of Northeastern Europe

Eurasian Soil Science ◽

10.1134/s1064229318010131 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 42-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A. V. Pastukhov ◽

C. Knoblauch ◽

E. V. Yakovleva ◽

D. A. Kaverin

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Organic Matter Transformation ◽

Northeastern Europe

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Evaluation of Noah-MP Land-Model Uncertainties over Sparsely Vegetated Sites on the Tibet Plateau

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos11050458 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 458

Author(s):

Guo Zhang ◽

Fei Chen ◽

Yueli Chen ◽

Jianduo Li ◽

Xindong Peng

Keyword(s):

Heat Flux ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Sensible Heat Flux ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Annual Total ◽

The Impact

The water budget and energy exchange over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) region play an important role on the Asian monsoon. However, it is not well presented in the current land surface models (LSMs). In this study, uncertainties in the Noah with multiparameterization (Noah-MP) LSM are assessed through physics ensemble simulations in three sparsely vegetated sites located in the central TP. The impact of soil organic matter on energy flux and water cycles, along with the influence of uncertainties in precipitation are explored using observations at those sites during the third Tibetan Plateau Experiment from 1August2014 to31July2015. The greatest uncertainties are in the subprocesses of the canopy resistance, soil moisture limiting factors for evaporation, runoff (RNF) and ground water, and surface-layer parameterization. These uncertain subprocesses do not change across the different precipitation datasets. More precipitation can increase the annual total net radiation (Rn), latent heat flux (LH) and RNF, but decrease sensible heat flux (SH). Soil organic matter enlarges the annual total LH by ~26% but lessens the annual total Rn, SH, and RNF by ~7%, 7%, and 39%, respectively. Its effect on the LH and RNF at the Nagqu site, which has a sand soil texture type, is greater than that at the other two sites with sandy loam. This study highlights the importance of precipitation uncertainties and the effect of soil organic matter on the Noah-MP land-model simulations. It provides a guidance to improve the Noah-MP LSM further and hence the land-atmosphere interactions simulated by weather and climate models over the TP region.

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