scholarly journals Large Herbivores Affecting Permafrost – Impacts of Grazing on Permafrost Soil Carbon Storage in Northeastern Siberia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torben Windirsch ◽  
Guido Grosse ◽  
Mathias Ulrich ◽  
Bruce C. Forbes ◽  
Mathias Göckede ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Content ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Permafrost Soil ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Large Herbivore ◽  
Sediment Grain Size ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Northeastern Siberia ◽  
Thaw Depth

Abstract. The risk of carbon emissions from permafrost ground is linked to ground temperature and thus in particular to thermal insulation by vegetation and organic soil layers in summer and snow cover in winter. This ground insulation is strongly influenced by the presence of large herbivorous animals browsing for food. In this study, we examine the potential impact of large herbivore presence on the ground carbon storage in thermokarst landscapes of northeastern Siberia. Our aim is to understand how intensive animal grazing may affect permafrost thaw and hence organic matter decomposition, leading to different ground carbon storage, which is significant in the active layer. Therefore, we analysed sites with differing large herbivore grazing intensity in the Pleistocene Park near Chersky and measured maximum thaw depth, total organic carbon content and decomposition state by δ13C isotope analysis. In addition, we determined sediment grain size composition as well as ice and water content. We found the thaw depth to be shallower and carbon storage to be higher in intensively grazed areas compared to extensively and non-grazed sites in the same thermokarst basin. The intensive grazing presumably leads to a more stable thermal ground regime and thus to increased carbon storage in the thermokarst deposits and active layer. However, the high carbon content found within the upper 20 cm on intensively grazed sites could also indicate higher carbon input rather than reduced decomposition, which requires further studies. We connect our findings to more animal trampling in winter, which causes snow disturbance and cooler winter ground temperatures during the average annual 225 days below freezing. This winter cooling overcompensates ground warming due to the lower insulation associated with shorter heavily grazed vegetation during the average annual 140 thaw days. We conclude that intensive grazing influences the carbon storage capacities of permafrost areas and hence might be an actively manageable instrument to reduce net carbon emission from these sites.

scholarly journals Nonlinear thermal and moisture dynamics of high Arctic wetland polygons following permafrost disturbance

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 11797-11831 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Godin ◽  
D. Fortier ◽  
E. Lévesque
Keyword(s):  
Active Layer ◽  
Arid Region ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Permafrost Soil ◽  
Active Layer Thickness ◽  
Green House Gas ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature ◽  
Thaw Depth ◽  
Moisture Dynamics ◽  
Permafrost Regions

Abstract. Low-centre polygonal terrain developing within gentle sloping surfaces and lowlands in the high Arctic have a potential to retain snowmelt water in their bowl-shaped centre and as such are considered high latitude wetlands. Such wetlands in the continuous permafrost regions have an important ecological role in an otherwise generally arid region. In the valley of the glacier C-79 on Bylot Island (Nunavut, Canada), thermal erosion gullies are rapidly eroding the permafrost along ice wedges affecting the integrity of the polygons by breaching and collapsing the surrounding rims. While intact polygons were characterized by a relative homogeneity (topography, snow cover, maximum active layer thaw depth, ground moisture content, vegetation cover), eroded polygons had a non-linear response for the same elements following their perturbation. The heterogeneous nature of disturbed terrains impacts active layer thickness, ground ice aggradation in the upper portion of permafrost, soil moisture and vegetation dynamics, carbon storage and terrestrial green-house gas emissions.

scholarly journals Nonlinear thermal and moisture response of ice-wedge polygons to permafrost disturbance increases heterogeneity of high Arctic wetland

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1439-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etienne Godin ◽  
Daniel Fortier ◽  
Esther Lévesque
Keyword(s):  
Active Layer ◽  
Vegetation Dynamics ◽  
Arid Region ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Permafrost Soil ◽  
Active Layer Thickness ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature ◽  
Thaw Depth ◽  
Ice Wedge ◽  
Permafrost Regions

Abstract. Low-center polygonal terrains with gentle sloping surfaces and lowlands in the high Arctic have a potential to retain water in the lower central portion of ice-wedge polygons and are considered high-latitude wetlands. Such wetlands in the continuous permafrost regions have an important ecological role in an otherwise generally arid region. In the valley of the glacier C-79 on Bylot Island (Nunavut, Canada), thermal erosion gullies were rapidly eroding the permafrost along ice wedges affecting the integrity of the polygons by breaching and collapsing the surrounding rims. Intact polygons were characterized by a relative homogeneity in terms of topography, snow cover, maximum active layer thaw depth, ground moisture content and vegetation cover (where eroded polygons responded nonlinearly to perturbations, which resulted in differing conditions in the latter elements). The heterogeneous nature of disturbed terrains impacted active layer thickness, ground ice aggradation in the upper portion of permafrost, soil moisture, vegetation dynamics and carbon storage.

scholarly journals Investigation on carbon sequestration capacity of typical subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve

2021 ◽  
Vol 248 ◽  
pp. 02044
Author(s):  
Qiugen Zhang ◽  
Hongli Wang ◽  
Yuan Ding ◽  
Jian Li
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Content ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Carbon Density ◽  
Schima Superba ◽  
National Nature Reserve ◽  
Vegetation Layer ◽  
Cyclobalanopsis Glauca

Three typical substropical evergreen broad-leaved forests (Castanopsis eyrei, Schima superba and Cyclobalanopsis glauca) in Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve of Jiangxi Province were selected to investigate its carbon sequestration capacity. The biomass and soil bulk density of sample investigation were get by setting sample investigation, field quadrat sampling, indoor sample making, experimental analysis testing, data statistics and analysis. The organic carbon content of vegetation layer (arbor layer, shrub layer and herbaceous layer, litter layer) and soil layer (0-10cm, 10-20cm, 20-30cm, 30-50cm and 50-100cm) were also get. The carbon density and carbon storage of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests vegetation and soil were estimated which including Castanopsis eyrei, Schima superba and Cyclobalanopsis glauca. The investigation results had shown that: The average organic carbon content of each vegetation layer in the investigation plot (400 m2) of Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve was arbor layer (54.07%)> shrub layer (52.8%)> herbaceous layer (47.5%), in which the average organic carbon content of the three subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in the arbor layer was close 52.97% to 54.87% and the total average content was 54.07%. The average carbon density of the forest vegetation layer was 178.3587t/hm2, the average carbon density of the vegetation layer was arbor layer (176.0273t/hm2)> shrub layer (1.3043t/hm2)> litter layer (0.8144t/hm2)> herbaceous layer (0.2127t/hm2); the average carbon density of each forest species was Castanopsis eyrei (213.5141t/hm2)> Schima superba (168.9069t/hm2)> Cyclobalanopsis glauca (152.6551t/hm2). Investigation sample of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest (400 m) in Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve, Jiangxi Province2 The average soil bulk density of each soil layer cm 0-100 g/cm was 0.868-1.816 g/cm3 both soil organic carbon content and soil carbon density decreased with the increase of soil depth. The average organic carbon content of each soil layer was between 3.75% and 12.48%, and the average soil carbon density was between 62.85t/hm2 and 146.14t/hm2. The average total carbon density of the soil in the investigated sample plots was 754.77t/hm2, of which the average soil carbon density in investigation sample plots in Castanopsis eyrei, Schima superba and Cyclobalanopsis glauca was 911.49t/hm2, 762.56t/hm2 and 543.22t/hm2 respectively. The average carbon storage of the investigation sample plot (400m2) in Jiangxi Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve were Castanopsis eyrei forest (45.0002t) >Cyclobalanopsis glauca forest (36.6087t) > Schima superba forest (28.4850t), the average soil carbon storage(30.1908t) was 4.23 times the average carbon storage(7.1314t).

scholarly journals Organic carbon inventories in natural and restored Ecuadorian mangrove forests

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda G DelVecchia ◽  
John F Bruno ◽  
Larry K Benninger ◽  
Marc Alperin ◽  
Ovik Banerjee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Content ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Mangrove Forests ◽  
Storage Potential ◽  
Sediment Carbon

Because mangroves can capture and store organic carbon, their protection and restoration is an obvious component of climate change mitigation. However, there are few empirical measurements of long-term carbon storage in mangroves or of how storage varies across environmental gradients. The context dependency of this process combined with geographically limited field sampling has made it difficult to generalize regional and global rates of mangrove carbon sequestration. This has in turn hampered the inclusion of sequestration by mangroves in carbon cycle models and in carbon offset markets. The purpose of this study was to estimate the relative carbon capture and storage potential in natural and restored mangrove forests. We measured depth profiles of soil organic carbon content in 72 cores collected from six sites (three natural, two restored, and one afforested) surrounding Muisne, Ecuador. Samples up to 1 m deep were analyzed for organic matter content using loss-on-ignition and values were converted to organic carbon content using an accepted ratio of 1.72 (g/g). Results suggest that average soil carbon storage is 0.055 ± 0.002 g∙cm-3 (11.3 ± 0.8% carbon content by dry mass, mean ± 1 SE) up to 1 m deep in natural sites, and 0.058 ± 0.002 g∙cm-3 (8.0 ± 0.3%) in restored sites. These estimates are concordant with published global averages. Evidence of equivalent carbon stocks in restored and afforested mangrove patches emphasizes the carbon sink potential for reestablished mangrove systems. We found no relationship between sediment carbon storage and aboveground biomass, forest structure, or within-patch location. Our results demonstrate the long-term carbon storage potential of natural mangroves, high effectiveness of mangrove restoration and afforestation, a lack of predictability in carbon storage strictly based on aboveground parameters, and the need to establish standardized protocol for quantifying mangrove sediment carbon stocks.

scholarly journals Organic carbon inventories in natural and restored Ecuadorian mangrove forests

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda G DelVecchia ◽  
John F Bruno ◽  
Larry K Benninger ◽  
Marc Alperin ◽  
Ovik Banerjee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Content ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Mangrove Forests ◽  
Storage Potential ◽  
Sediment Carbon

Because mangroves can capture and store organic carbon, their protection and restoration is an obvious component of climate change mitigation. However, there are few empirical measurements of long-term carbon storage in mangroves or of how storage varies across environmental gradients. The context dependency of this process combined with geographically limited field sampling has made it difficult to generalize regional and global rates of mangrove carbon sequestration. This has in turn hampered the inclusion of sequestration by mangroves in carbon cycle models and in carbon offset markets. The purpose of this study was to estimate the relative carbon capture and storage potential in natural and restored mangrove forests. We measured depth profiles of soil organic carbon content in 72 cores collected from six sites (three natural, two restored, and one afforested) surrounding Muisne, Ecuador. Samples up to 1 m deep were analyzed for organic matter content using loss-on-ignition and values were converted to organic carbon content using an accepted ratio of 1.72 (g/g). Results suggest that average soil carbon storage is 0.055 ± 0.002 g∙cm-3 (11.3 ± 0.8% carbon content by dry mass, mean ± 1 SE) up to 1 m deep in natural sites, and 0.058 ± 0.002 g∙cm-3 (8.0 ± 0.3%) in restored sites. These estimates are concordant with published global averages. Evidence of equivalent carbon stocks in restored and afforested mangrove patches emphasizes the carbon sink potential for reestablished mangrove systems. We found no relationship between sediment carbon storage and aboveground biomass, forest structure, or within-patch location. Our results demonstrate the long-term carbon storage potential of natural mangroves, high effectiveness of mangrove restoration and afforestation, a lack of predictability in carbon storage strictly based on aboveground parameters, and the need to establish standardized protocol for quantifying mangrove sediment carbon stocks.

scholarly journals Caracterização da matéria orgânica sedimentar na Baía de Guanabara através de marcadores moleculares

2003 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 79-91
Author(s):  
Renato S. Carreira ◽  
Angela L.R. Wagener
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Carbon Content ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Carbon Fluxes ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Guanabara Bay ◽  
Sewage Discharge

The present work aimed at investigating the effects of growing eutrophic conditions and soil occupation on the carbon storage in Guanabara Bay. Sterols in dated sediment cores were used to characterize the sources of organic matter to the bay. Dinosterol was the most abundant amongst the measured sterols reaching 64.7 % of the total. Coprostanol, a fecal sterol, was present in concentrations as high as 40 µg g-1 in areas of intensive sewage discharge. These results are in agreement with the known elevated primary production in the bay and with the severe eutrophic conditions. The calculated carbon fluxes using the organic carbon content and the sedimention rates range between 50 g C m-2 year-1 and 500g C m-2 year-1 during the last 100 years.

scholarly journals Effects of large herbivore grazing on relics of the presumed mammoth steppe in the extreme climate of NE-Siberia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Reinecke ◽  
Kseniia Ashastina ◽  
Frank Kienast ◽  
Elena Troeva ◽  
Karsten Wesche
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Large Herbivore ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Rangeland Ecology ◽  
Northeastern Siberia ◽  
Continental Climate

AbstractThe Siberian mammoth steppe ecosystem changed dramatically with the disappearance of large grazers in the Holocene. The concept of Pleistocene rewilding is based on the idea that large herbivore grazing significantly alters plant communities and can be employed to recreate lost ecosystems. On the other hand, modern rangeland ecology emphasizes the often overriding importance of harsh climates. We visited two rewilding projects and three rangeland regions, sampling a total of 210 vegetation relevés in steppe and surrounding vegetation (grasslands, shrublands and forests) along an extensive climatic gradient across Yakutia, Russia. We analyzed species composition, plant traits, diversity indices and vegetation productivity, using partial canonical correspondence and redundancy analysis. Macroclimate was most important for vegetation composition, and microclimate for the occurrence of extrazonal steppes. Macroclimate and soil conditions mainly determined productivity of vegetation. Bison grazing was responsible for small-scale changes in vegetation through trampling, wallowing and debarking, thus creating more open and disturbed plant communities, soil compaction and xerophytization. However, the magnitude of effects depended on density and type of grazers as well as on interactions with climate and site conditions. Effects of bison grazing were strongest in the continental climate of Central Yakutia, and steppes were generally less affected than meadows. We conclude that contemporary grazing overall has rather limited effects on vegetation in northeastern Siberia. Current rewilding practices are still far from recreating a mammoth steppe, although large herbivores like bison can create more open and drier vegetation and increase nutrient availability in particular in the more continental Central Yakutian Plain.

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