Measurements and Modeling of Benzene Transport in a Discontinuous Permafrost Region

2000 ◽  
pp. 191-253
Keyword(s):  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost

scholarly journals Seasonal shifts in export of DOC and nutrients from burned and unburned peatland-rich catchments, Northwest Territories, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 4455-4472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katheryn Burd ◽  
Suzanne E. Tank ◽  
Nicole Dion ◽  
William L. Quinton ◽  
Christopher Spence ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Forest Litter ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Spring Period ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Spring Freshet

Abstract. Boreal peatlands are major catchment sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nutrients and thus strongly regulate the landscape carbon balance, aquatic food webs, and downstream water quality. Climate change is likely to influence catchment solute yield directly through climatic controls on run-off generation, but also indirectly through altered disturbance regimes. In this study we monitored water chemistry from early spring until fall at the outlets of a 321 km2 catchment that burned 3 years prior to the study and a 134 km2 undisturbed catchment. Both catchments were located in the discontinuous permafrost zone of boreal western Canada and had  ∼  60 % peatland cover. The two catchments had strong similarities in the timing of DOC and nutrient yields, but a few differences were consistent with anticipated effects of wildfire based on peatland porewater analysis. The 4-week spring period, particularly the rising limb of the spring freshet, was crucial for accurate characterization of the seasonal solute yield from both catchments. The spring period was responsible for  ∼  65 % of the seasonal DOC and nitrogen and for  ∼  85 % of the phosphorous yield. The rising limb of the spring freshet was associated with high phosphorous concentrations and DOC of distinctly high aromaticity and molecular weight. Shifts in stream DOC concentrations and aromaticity outside the early spring period were consistent with shifts in relative streamflow contribution from precipitation-like water in the spring to mineral soil groundwater in the summer, with consistent relative contributions from organic soil porewater. Radiocarbon content (14C) of DOC at the outlets was modern throughout May to September (fraction modern carbon, fM: 0.99–1.05) but likely reflected a mix of aged DOC, e.g. porewater DOC from permafrost (fM: 0.65–0.85) and non-permafrost peatlands (fM: 0.95–1.00), with modern bomb-influenced DOC, e.g. DOC leached from forest litter (fM: 1.05–1.10). The burned catchment had significantly increased total phosphorous (TP) yield and also had greater DOC yield during summer which was characterized by a greater contribution from aged DOC. Overall, however, our results suggest that DOC composition and yield from peatland-rich catchments in the discontinuous permafrost region likely is more sensitive to climate change through impacts on run-off generation rather than through altered fire regimes.

scholarly journals Derivation and analysis of a high-resolution estimate of global permafrost zonation

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 1547-1582
Author(s):  
S. Gruber
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Actual Surface ◽  
Interesting Insight ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost

Abstract. Permafrost underlies much of Earths' surface and interacts with climate, eco-systems and human systems. It is a complex phenomenon controlled by climate and (sub-) surface properties and reacts to change with variable delay. Heterogeneity and sparse data challenge the modeling of its spatial distribution. Currently, there is no data set to adequately inform global studies of permafrost. The available data set for the Northern Hemisphere is frequently used for model evaluation, but its quality and consistency are difficult to assess. A global model of permafrost extent and dataset of permafrost zonation are presented and discussed, extending earlier studies by including the Southern Hemisphere, by consistent data and methods, and most importantly, by attention to uncertainty and scaling. Established relationships between air temperature and the occurrence of permafrost are re-formulated into a model that is parametrized using published estimates. It is run with a high-resolution (<1 km) global elevation data and air temperatures based on the NCAR-NCEP reanalysis and CRU TS 2.0. The resulting data provides more spatial detail and a consistent extrapolation to remote regions, while aggregated values resemble previous studies. The estimated uncertainties affect regional patterns and aggregate number, but provide interesting insight. The permafrost area, i.e. the actual surface area underlain by permafrost, north of 60° S is estimated to be 13–18 × 106 km2 or 9–14 % of the exposed land surface. The global permafrost area including Antarctic and sub-sea permafrost is estimated to be 16–21 × 106 km2. The global permafrost region, i.e. the exposed land surface below which some permafrost can be expected, is estimated to be 22 ± 3 × 106 km2. A large proportion of this exhibits considerable topography and spatially-discontinuous permafrost, underscoring the importance of attention to scaling issues and heterogeneity in large-area models.

scholarly journals Biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon in permafrost soils and aquatic systems: a meta-analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 6915-6930 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Vonk ◽  
S. E. Tank ◽  
P. J. Mann ◽  
R. G. M. Spencer ◽  
C. C. Treat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Aquatic Systems ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Soil Leachate ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Continuous Permafrost ◽  
Permafrost Regions

Abstract. As Arctic regions warm and frozen soils thaw, the large organic carbon pool stored in permafrost becomes increasingly vulnerable to decomposition or transport. The transfer of newly mobilized carbon to the atmosphere and its potential influence upon climate change will largely depend on the degradability of carbon delivered to aquatic ecosystems. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a key regulator of aquatic metabolism, yet knowledge of the mechanistic controls on DOC biodegradability is currently poor due to a scarcity of long-term data sets, limited spatial coverage of available data, and methodological diversity. Here, we performed parallel biodegradable DOC (BDOC) experiments at six Arctic sites (16 experiments) using a standardized incubation protocol to examine the effect of methodological differences commonly used in the literature. We also synthesized results from 14 aquatic and soil leachate BDOC studies from across the circum-arctic permafrost region to examine pan-arctic trends in BDOC. An increasing extent of permafrost across the landscape resulted in higher DOC losses in both soil and aquatic systems. We hypothesize that the unique composition of (yedoma) permafrost-derived DOC combined with limited prior microbial processing due to low soil temperature and relatively short flow path lengths and transport times, contributed to a higher overall terrestrial and freshwater DOC loss. Additionally, we found that the fraction of BDOC decreased moving down the fluvial network in continuous permafrost regions, i.e. from streams to large rivers, suggesting that highly biodegradable DOC is lost in headwater streams. We also observed a seasonal (January–December) decrease in BDOC in large streams and rivers, but saw no apparent change in smaller streams or soil leachates. We attribute this seasonal change to a combination of factors including shifts in carbon source, changing DOC residence time related to increasing thaw-depth, increasing water temperatures later in the summer, as well as decreasing hydrologic connectivity between soils and surface water as the thaw season progresses. Our results suggest that future climate warming-induced shifts of continuous permafrost into discontinuous permafrost regions could affect the degradation potential of thaw-released DOC, the amount of BDOC, as well as its variability throughout the Arctic summer. We lastly recommend a standardized BDOC protocol to facilitate the comparison of future work and improve our knowledge of processing and transport of DOC in a changing Arctic.

scholarly journals PeRL: a circum-Arctic Permafrost Region Pond and Lake database

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 317-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sina Muster ◽  
Kurt Roth ◽  
Moritz Langer ◽  
Stephan Lange ◽  
Fabio Cresto Aleina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Freshwater Habitats ◽  
Landscape Units

Abstract. Ponds and lakes are abundant in Arctic permafrost lowlands. They play an important role in Arctic wetland ecosystems by regulating carbon, water, and energy fluxes and providing freshwater habitats. However, ponds, i.e., waterbodies with surface areas smaller than 1. 0 × 104 m2, have not been inventoried on global and regional scales. The Permafrost Region Pond and Lake (PeRL) database presents the results of a circum-Arctic effort to map ponds and lakes from modern (2002–2013) high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery with a resolution of 5 m or better. The database also includes historical imagery from 1948 to 1965 with a resolution of 6 m or better. PeRL includes 69 maps covering a wide range of environmental conditions from tundra to boreal regions and from continuous to discontinuous permafrost zones. Waterbody maps are linked to regional permafrost landscape maps which provide information on permafrost extent, ground ice volume, geology, and lithology. This paper describes waterbody classification and accuracy, and presents statistics of waterbody distribution for each site. Maps of permafrost landscapes in Alaska, Canada, and Russia are used to extrapolate waterbody statistics from the site level to regional landscape units. PeRL presents pond and lake estimates for a total area of 1. 4 × 106 km2 across the Arctic, about 17 % of the Arctic lowland ( <  300 m a.s.l.) land surface area. PeRL waterbodies with sizes of 1. 0 × 106 m2 down to 1. 0 × 102 m2 contributed up to 21 % to the total water fraction. Waterbody density ranged from 1. 0 × 10 to 9. 4 × 101 km−2. Ponds are the dominant waterbody type by number in all landscapes representing 45–99 % of the total waterbody number. The implementation of PeRL size distributions in land surface models will greatly improve the investigation and projection of surface inundation and carbon fluxes in permafrost lowlands. Waterbody maps, study area boundaries, and maps of regional permafrost landscapes including detailed metadata are available at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.868349.

scholarly journals Derivation and analysis of a high-resolution estimate of global permafrost zonation

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Gruber
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Actual Surface ◽  
Interesting Insight ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost

Abstract. Permafrost underlies much of Earth's surface and interacts with climate, eco-systems and human systems. It is a complex phenomenon controlled by climate and (sub-) surface properties and reacts to change with variable delay. Heterogeneity and sparse data challenge the modeling of its spatial distribution. Currently, there is no data set to adequately inform global studies of permafrost. The available data set for the Northern Hemisphere is frequently used for model evaluation, but its quality and consistency are difficult to assess. Here, a global model of permafrost extent and dataset of permafrost zonation are presented and discussed, extending earlier studies by including the Southern Hemisphere, by consistent data and methods, by attention to uncertainty and scaling. Established relationships between air temperature and the occurrence of permafrost are re-formulated into a model that is parametrized using published estimates. It is run with a high-resolution (<1 km) global elevation data and air temperatures based on the NCAR-NCEP reanalysis and CRU TS 2.0. The resulting data provide more spatial detail and a consistent extrapolation to remote regions, while aggregated values resemble previous studies. The estimated uncertainties affect regional patterns and aggregate number, and provide interesting insight. The permafrost area, i.e. the actual surface area underlain by permafrost, north of 60° S is estimated to be 13–18 × 106 km2 or 9–14 % of the exposed land surface. The global permafrost area including Antarctic and sub-sea permafrost is estimated to be 16–21 × 106 km2. The global permafrost region, i.e. the exposed land surface below which some permafrost can be expected, is estimated to be 22 ± 3 × 106 km2. A large proportion of this exhibits considerable topography and spatially-discontinuous permafrost, underscoring the importance of attention to scaling issues and heterogeneity in large-area models.

scholarly journals Numerical Mapping and Modeling Permafrost Thermal Dynamics across the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor, China Integrated with Remote Sensing

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoan Yin ◽  
Hao Zheng ◽  
Fujun Niu ◽  
Jing Luo ◽  
Zhanju Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Active Layer Thickness ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
High Mountains ◽  
Thermal Dynamics ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost

Permafrost thermal conditions across the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor (QTEC) is of growing interest due to infrastructure development. Most modeling of the permafrost thermal regime has been conducted at coarser spatial resolution, which is not suitable for engineering construction in a warming climate. Here we model the spatial permafrost thermal dynamics across the QTEC from the 2010 to the 2060 using the ground thermal model. Soil properties are defined based on field measurements and ecosystem types. The climate forcing datasets are synthesized from MODIS-LST products and the reanalysis product of near-surface air temperature. The climate projections are based on long-term observations of air temperature across the QTEC. The comparison of model results to field measurements demonstrates a satisfactory agreement for the purpose of permafrost thermal modeling. The results indicate a discontinuous permafrost distribution in the QTEC. Mean annual ground temperatures (MAGT) are lowest (<−2.0 °C) for the high mountains. In most upland plains, MAGTs range from −2.0 °C to 0 °C. For high mountains, the average active-layer thickness (ALT) is less than 2.0 m, while the river valley features ALT of more than 4.0 m. For upland plains, the modeled ALTs generally range from 3.0 m to 4.0 m. The simulated results for the future 50 years suggest that 12.0%~20.2% of the permafrost region will be involved in degradation, with an MAGT increase of 0.4 °C~2.3 °C, and the ALT increasing by 0.4 m~7.3 m. The results of this study are useful for the infrastructure development, although there are still several improvements in detailed forcing datasets and a locally realistic model.

scholarly journals Hydrometric measurements in peatland-dominated, discontinuous permafrost at Scotty Creek, Northwest Territories, Canada – Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN) Special Observation and Analysis Period (SOAP)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine M. Haynes ◽  
Ryan F. Connon ◽  
William L. Quinton
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Permafrost Degradation ◽  
Cold Regions ◽  
Land Cover Types ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost

Abstract. The discontinuous permafrost region of northwestern Canada is experiencing rapid warming resulting in dramatic land cover change from forested permafrost terrain to treeless wetlands. Extensive research has been conducted throughout this region to gain insight into how climate-induced land cover change will impact water resources and ecosystem function. This paper presents a hydrological and micrometeorological dataset collected in the Scotty Creek basin, Northwest Territories, Canada over the course of the Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN) Special Observation and Analysis Period (SOAP) year of 1 October 2014 to 30 September 2015. Micrometeorological data collected from four stations located in land cover types representative of those comprising the Scotty Creek basin, including bog, channel fen, stable peat plateau and peat plateau undergoing rapid permafrost degradation and loss are presented. Monitored micrometeorological variables include incoming and outgoing shortwave and longwave radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation (rain and snow) and snow depth. Deep ground temperatures (~ 1 to 10 m below the ground surface) from a channel fen as well as disturbed sites common to the basin including a seismic line and winter road are presented. Water levels were also monitored in the representative land cover types over this period. This dataset is available from the Wilfrid Laurier University Library Research Data Repository (https://doi.org/10.5683/SP/OQDRJG) and can be used in coordination with other hydrological and micrometeorological datasets, including those from the CCRN, to examine spatio-temporal effects of meteorological conditions on local hydrological responses across cold regions.

scholarly journals Subsurface release and transport of dissolved carbon in a discontinuous permafrost region

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Jantze ◽  
S. W. Lyon ◽  
G. Destouni
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Subsurface Water ◽  
Dissolution Time ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Dissolved Carbon ◽  
Mechanistic Pathway ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost ◽  
Average Travel Time ◽  
Flow Pathways

Abstract. Warming and thawing of permafrost and deepening of the active layer related to climate change have been reported in arctic and subarctic environments. These changes alter subsurface hydrological flow pathways and advection rates through the landscape, and thereby also affect the quantity and timing of hydrological transport of dissolved carbon. This study investigates hydrological carbon transport through the subsurface to streams and how it is affected by the distribution of subsurface hydrological pathways and travel times through the landscape. We develop a consistent mechanistic, pathway- and travel time-based modeling approach for release and transport of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The model implications are tested against observations in the subarctic Abiskojokken catchment (68°21' N, 18°49' E) as a field case example of a discontinuous permafrost region. The results show: (a) Essentially flow-independent concentration and load of the annually renewed and depleted DOC, due to the small characteristic respiration-dissolution time scale relative to the average travel time of water through the subsurface to the stream. (b) High flow-dependence of DIC load, due to its large characteristic weathering-dissolution time relative to the average subsurface water travel time to the stream, which also keeps the DIC concentration essentially flow-independent and less fluctuating in time than the DIC load.

scholarly journals Biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon in permafrost soils and waterways: a meta-analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 8353-8393 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Vonk ◽  
S. E. Tank ◽  
P. J. Mann ◽  
R. G. M. Spencer ◽  
C. C. Treat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Soil Leachate ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Continuous Permafrost ◽  
Permafrost Regions

Abstract. As Arctic regions warm, the large organic carbon pool stored in permafrost becomes increasingly vulnerable to thaw and decomposition. The transfer of newly mobilized carbon to the atmosphere and its potential influence upon climate change will largely depend on the reactivity and subsequent fate of carbon delivered to aquatic ecosystems. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a key regulator of aquatic metabolism and its biodegradability will determine the extent and rate of carbon release from aquatic ecosystems to the atmosphere. Knowledge of the mechanistic controls on DOC biodegradability is however currently poor due to a scarcity of long-term data sets, limited spatial coverage of available data, and methodological diversity. Here, we performed parallel biodegradable DOC (BDOC) experiments at six Arctic sites (16 experiments) using a standardized incubation protocol to examine the effect of methodological differences used as common practice in the literature. We further synthesized results from 14 aquatic and soil leachate BDOC studies from across the circum–arctic permafrost region to examine pan-Arctic trends in BDOC. An increasing extent of permafrost across the landscape resulted in higher BDOC losses in both soil and aquatic systems. We hypothesize that the unique composition of permafrost-derived DOC combined with limited prior microbial processing due to low soil temperature and relatively shorter flow path lengths and transport times, resulted in higher overall terrestrial and freshwater BDOC loss. Additionally, we found that the fraction of BDOC decreased moving down the fluvial network in continuous permafrost regions, i.e. from streams to large rivers, suggesting that highly biodegradable DOC is lost in headwater streams. We also observed a seasonal (January–December) decrease in BDOC losses in large streams and rivers, but no apparent change in smaller streams and soil leachates. We attribute this seasonal change to a combination of factors including shifts in carbon source, changing DOC residence time related to increasing thaw-depth, increasing water temperatures later in the summer, as well as decreasing hydrologic connectivity between soils and surface water as the seasons progress. Our results suggest that future, climate warming-induced shifts of continuous permafrost into discontinuous permafrost regions could affect the degradation potential of thaw-released DOC as well as its variability throughout the Arctic summer. We lastly present a recommended standardized BDOC protocol to facilitate the comparison of future work and improve our knowledge of processing and transport of DOC in a changing Arctic.

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