scholarly journals Supplementary material to "Dissolved organic carbon, major and trace element in peat pore water of sporadic, discontinuous and continuous permafrost zone of Western Siberia"

Author(s):  
Tatiana V. Raudina ◽  
Sergey V. Loiko ◽  
Artyom Lim ◽  
Ivan V. Krickov ◽  
Liudmila S. Shirokova ◽  
...  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana V. Raudina ◽  
Sergey V. Loiko ◽  
Artyom Lim ◽  
Ivan V. Krickov ◽  
Liudmila S. Shirokova ◽  
...  

Abstract. Mobilization of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and related trace elements (TE) from the frozen peat to surface waters in the permafrost zone is one the major consequence of on-going permafrost thaw and active layer thickness (ALT) rise in high latitude regions. The interstitial soil solutions are efficient tracers of on-going bio-geochemical processes in the critical zone and can help to decipher the intensity of carbon and metals migration from the soil to the rivers and further to the ocean. To this end, we collected, across a 640 km latitudinal transect of sporadic to continuous permafrost zone of western Siberia peatlands, soil porewaters from 30 cm depth using suction cups and we analyzed DOC, DIC and 40 major and TE in 0.45 µm filtered fraction of 80 soil porewaters. Despite an expected decrease of the intensity of DOC and TE mobilization from the soil and vegetation litter to the interstitial fluids with the increase of the permafrost coverage, decrease in the annual temperature and ALT, the DOC and many major and trace element did not exhibit any distinct decrease in concentration along the latitudinal transect from 62.2° N to 67.4° N. The DOC demonstrated a maximum of concentration at 66° N, on the border of discontinuous/continuous permafrost zone, whereas the DOC concentration in peat soil solutions from continuous permafrost zone was equal or higher than that in sporadic/discontinuous permafrost zone. Moreover, a number of major (Ca, Mg) and trace (Al, Ti, Sr, Ga, REEs, Zr, Hf, Th) elements exhibited an increasing, not decreasing northward concentration trend. We hypothesize that the effect of temperature and thickness of the ALT are of secondary importance relative to the leaching capacity of peat which is in turn controlled by the water saturation of the peat core. The water residence time in peat pores also plays a role in enriching the fluids in some elements: the DOC, V, Cu, Pb, REE, Th were a factor of 1.5 to 2.0 higher in mounds relative to hollows. As such, it is possible that the time of reaction between the peat and downward infiltrating waters essentially controls the degree of peat pore-water enrichments in DOC and other solutes. A two-degree northward shift in the position of the permafrost boundaries may bring about a factor of 1.3 decrease in Ca, Mg, Sr, Al, Fe, Ti, Mn, Ni, Co, V, Zr, Hf, Th and REE porewater concentration in continuous and discontinuous permafrost zones, and a possible decrease in DOC, SUVA, Ca, Mg, Fe and Sr will not exceed 20 % of their actual values. The projected increase of ALT and vegetation density, northward migration of the permafrost boundary, or the change of hydrological regime are unlikely to modify chemical composition of peat pore water fluids larger than their natural variations within different micro-landscapes, i.e., within a factor of 2.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 3561-3584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana V. Raudina ◽  
Sergey V. Loiko ◽  
Artyom G. Lim ◽  
Ivan V. Krickov ◽  
Liudmila S. Shirokova ◽  
...  

Abstract. Mobilization of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and related trace elements (TEs) from the frozen peat to surface waters in the permafrost zone is expected to enhance under ongoing permafrost thaw and active layer thickness (ALT) deepening in high-latitude regions. The interstitial soil solutions are efficient tracers of ongoing bio-geochemical processes in the critical zone and can help to decipher the intensity of carbon and metals migration from the soil to the rivers and further to the ocean. To this end, we collected, across a 640 km latitudinal transect of the sporadic to continuous permafrost zone of western Siberia peatlands, soil porewaters from 30 cm depth using suction cups and we analyzed DOC, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and 40 major elements and TEs in 0.45 µm filtered fraction of 80 soil porewaters. Despite an expected decrease in the intensity of DOC and TE mobilization from the soil and vegetation litter to the interstitial fluids with the increase in the permafrost coverage and a decrease in the annual temperature and ALT, the DOC and many major and trace elements did not exhibit any distinct decrease in concentration along the latitudinal transect from 62.2 to 67.4° N. The DOC demonstrated a maximum of concentration at 66° N, on the border of the discontinuous/continuous permafrost zone, whereas the DOC concentration in peat soil solutions from the continuous permafrost zone was equal to or higher than that in the sporadic/discontinuous permafrost zone. Moreover, a number of major (Ca, Mg) and trace (Al, Ti, Sr, Ga, rare earth elements (REEs), Zr, Hf, Th) elements exhibited an increasing, not decreasing, northward concentration trend. We hypothesize that the effects of temperature and thickness of the ALT are of secondary importance relative to the leaching capacity of peat, which is in turn controlled by the water saturation of the peat core. The water residence time in peat pores also plays a role in enriching the fluids in some elements: the DOC, V, Cu, Pb, REEs, and Th were a factor of 1.5 to 2.0 higher in mounds relative to hollows. As such, it is possible that the time of reaction between the peat and downward infiltrating waters essentially controls the degree of peat porewater enrichments in DOC and other solutes. A 2° northward shift in the position of the permafrost boundaries may bring about a factor of 1.3 ± 0.2 decrease in Ca, Mg, Sr, Al, Fe, Ti, Mn, Ni, Co, V, Zr, Hf, Th, and REE porewater concentration in continuous and discontinuous permafrost zones, and a possible decrease in DOC, specific ultraviolet absorbency (SUVA), Ca, Mg, Fe, and Sr will not exceed 20 % of their current values. The projected increase in ALT and vegetation density, northward migration of the permafrost boundary, or the change of hydrological regime is unlikely to modify chemical composition of peat porewater fluids larger than their natural variations within different micro-landscapes, i.e., within a factor of 2. The decrease in DOC and metal delivery to small rivers and lakes by peat soil leachate may also decrease the overall export of dissolved components from the continuous permafrost zone to the Arctic Ocean. This challenges the current paradigm on the increase in DOC export from the land to the ocean under climate warming in high latitudes.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 7257-7297 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. S. Pokrovsky ◽  
L. S. Shirokova ◽  
S. N. Kirpotin ◽  
S. P. Kulizhsky ◽  
S. N. Vorobiev

Abstract. During the anomalous hot summer in 2012, surface air temperatures in Western Siberia were 5 to 10 °C higher than those observed during the previous period of > 30 yr. This unusual climate phenomenon provided an opportunity to examine the effects of short-term natural heating of water in thermokarst ponds and lakes in discontinuous permafrost zones and compare these observations to previous field results obtained when the temperature was normal during the summer of 2010 in the same region. Thermokarst bodies of water shrank significantly, water levels dropped approximately 50 cm in large lakes and small (< 10–100 m2) ponds, and shallow soil depressions disappeared. Based on samples from ~ 40 bodies of water collected previously and in 2012, first-order features of changes in chemical composition in response to increased water temperatures (from 14.1 ± 2.2 to 23.8 ± 2.3 °C in 2010 and 2012, respectively) were established. In these thermokarst bodies of water that covered a full range of surface areas, the average conductivity and pH were almost unchanged, whereas dissolved organic carbon (DOC), Cl− and SO42− concentrations were higher by a factor of ~ 2 during summer 2012 compared to periods with normal temperatures. Similarly, most divalent metals and insoluble trivalent and tetravalent elements were more concentrated by a factor of 1.7–2.4 in the summer of 2012 than normal periods. The average concentrations of dissolved CO2 and CH4 during the hot summer of 2012 increased by factors of 1.4 and 4.9, respectively. For most of the trace elements bound to colloids, the degree of colloidal binding decreased by a factor of 1.44 ± 0.33 (for an average of 40 elements) during the hot summer of 2012 compared to normal periods. Increases in CO2 and CH4 concentrations with the decreasing size of the body of water were well-pronounced during the hot summer of 2012. The concentrations of CO2 and CH4 significantly increased by factors of 5 and 150, respectively, in small (≤ 102 m2) compared to large (≥ 104 m2) thermokarst (thaw) lakes. Taken together, these trends suggest that, for a conservative scenario of lake size distribution, lake water warming at high latitudes will produce (1) a significant increase in methane emission capacity from thaw lake surfaces; (2) decrease of molecular sizes of TE complexes and increase of potential bioavailability of metal micronutrients in water columns; and (3) relatively conservative responses by CO2, DOC and trace element concentrations.


2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 612-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
T R Moore ◽  
L Matos ◽  
N T Roulet

We examined the sources, sinks, and fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and its chemical fractions over a 4-year period in upland and wetland catchments in the Experimental Lakes Area, Ontario. In an upland catchment, the major sources of DOC were precipitation, vegetation, and soil organic matter, resulting in a summer (June to October) export of 2.1 g·m–2. DOC concentrations in peat pore water ranged from 20 to 60 mg·L–1 and were related to hydrologic pathways. DOC export from catchments containing wetlands ranged from 0.8 to 5.7 g·m–2 and export from the peatland portion of the catchment was estimated to be 28–30 g·m–2. Flooding to a depth of 1.2 m in the peatland section of one catchment resulted in an increase in pore-water and pond DOC concentrations, attributed to the decomposition of plant tissues and peat. Because only 14% of the catchment was flooded, impoundment did not result in a significant increase in DOC export. Between 85 and 93% of DOC was contained in the acid fractions, with small amounts in the neutral fractions. Flooding increased the proportion of the hydrophilic neutral fraction in peat pore waters for 2 years after flooding.


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 ◽  
...  

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.


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