Methane in frozen and thawed soils of the western sector of Russian Arctic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataliia Zadorozhnaia ◽  
Gleb Oblogov ◽  
Alexander Vasiliev ◽  
Irina Streletskaya
Keyword(s):  
Transition Zone ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Methane Content ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Yamal Peninsula ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Permafrost Degradation ◽  
Pechora River ◽  
The Impact

<p>Many researchers study the Earth's climate change and the impact of the greenhouse effect on this process. The large amount of methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) is preserved in permafrost. In this regard, scientists recently pay a great attention to the problem of methane emission during the permafrost degradation in the Arctic zone. Until now, the methane content in underground ice, frozen Quaternary sediments has been studied insufficiently. The methane content in the active layer is especially poorly studied.</p><p>The authors researched methane content in frozen grounds of the upper permafrost horizon (transition zone) and in thawed sediments of the active layer for different tundra landscapes near the Marre-Sale polar station on the western coast of the Yamal peninsula and for landscapes of the Pechora river estuary area (Russia).</p><p>More than 420 samples of gas from sediments in active and transient layer were collected in Marre-Sale and 36 samples in Pechora area. To determine the methane content, the samples were placed in syringes and degassed using the “head space” technique. CH<sub>4</sub> measurements were carried out on a chromatograph with flame ionization detector (FID) Shimadzu GC-2014 (Japan) in the laboratory of Federal State Institution “VNIIOkeangeologiya” (Saint-Petersburg, Russia).</p><p>Methane content in the frozen and thawed sediments of different dominant landscapes of typical tundra on Yamal peninsula and landscapes of southern tundra on Pechora area is extremely variable. The greatest amount of methane is typical for the most wet landscapes with primarily of silt loam soils. In dry primarily sandy well-drained landscapes, the methane content is low. The highest methane content is measured within the low floodplain of river, water tracks, swampy depressions of polygonal relief, and lake basins landscapes (mean varied from 0.8 to 2.5 ml [CH4] / kg, with a maximum of 9.0 ml [CH4] / kg). For landscapes of the moist surface of typical tundra, the average values of methane content were approximately 0.4 ml [CH4] / kg (with a maximum of 3.4 ml [CH4] / kg). The lowest methane contents in soils were characteristic of the landscapes of well-drained tundra, and sand fields where the average values do not exceed 0.2 ml [CH4] / kg. Mean methane content in soils of Pechora river mouth landscapes varied from 0.05 to 4.5 ml [CH4] / kg, with a maximum of 15.8 ml [CH4] / kg.</p><p>Determined that methane contents in the frozen soils of the transition zone is 2 to 5 times higher than in the soils of the active layer. High content of methane in upper layers of permafrost should be considered as a significant source of methane, which can be involved in emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere during permafrost degradation.</p>

scholarly journals Methane Content and Emission in the Permafrost Landscapes of Western Yamal, Russian Arctic

Geosciences ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 412
Author(s):  
Gleb E. Oblogov ◽  
Alexander A. Vasiliev ◽  
Irina D. Streletskaya ◽  
Natalia A. Zadorozhnaya ◽  
Anna O. Kuznetsova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Layer ◽  
Methane Content ◽  
Yamal Peninsula ◽  
Peat Bogs ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Permafrost Degradation ◽  
Russian Arctic ◽  
Landscape Map ◽  
The Yamal Peninsula ◽  
Lake Basins

We present the results of studies of the methane content in soils of the active layer and underlying permafrost, as well as data on the emission of methane into the atmosphere in the dominant landscapes of typical tundra of the western coast of the Yamal Peninsula. A detailed landscape map of the study area was compiled, the dominant types of landscapes were determined, and vegetation cover was described. We determined that a high methane content is characteristic of the wet landscapes: peat bogs within the floodplains, water tracks, and lake basins. Average values of the methane content in the active layer for such landscapes varied from 2.4 to 3.5 mL (CH4)/kg, with a maximum of 9.0 mL (CH4)/kg. The distribution of methane in studied sections is characterized by an increase in its concentration with depth. This confirms the diffuse mechanism of methane transport in the active layer and emission of methane into the atmosphere. The transition zone of the upper permafrost contains 2.5–5-times more methane than the active layer and may become a significant source of methane during the anticipated permafrost degradation. Significant fluxes of methane into the atmosphere of 2.6 mg (CH4) * m−2 * h−1 are characteristic of the flooded landscapes of peat bogs, water tracks, and lake basins, which occupy approximately 45% of the typical tundra area.

scholarly journals Methane Content in Ground Ice and Sediments of the Kara Sea Coast

Geosciences ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Streletskaya ◽  
Alexander Vasiliev ◽  
Gleb Oblogov ◽  
Dmitry Streletskiy
Keyword(s):  
Active Layer ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Methane Content ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Permafrost Degradation ◽  
Microbial Oxidation ◽  
Ground Ice ◽  
Arctic Seas ◽  
Methane Concentrations ◽  
Sea Coast

Permafrost degradation of coastal and marine sediments of the Arctic Seas can result in large amounts of methane emitted to the atmosphere. The quantitative assessment of such emissions requires data on variability of methane content in various types of permafrost strata. To evaluate the methane concentrations in sediments and ground ice of the Kara Sea coast, samples were collected at a series of coastal exposures. Methane concentrations were determined for more than 400 samples taken from frozen sediments, ground ice and active layer. In frozen sediments, methane concentrations were lowest in sands and highest in marine clays. In ground ice, the highest concentrations above 500 ppmV and higher were found in massive tabular ground ice, with much lower methane concentrations in ground ice wedges. The mean isotopic composition of methane is −68.6‰ in permafrost and −63.6‰ in the active layer indicative of microbial genesis. The isotopic compositions of the active layer is enriched relative to permafrost due to microbial oxidation and become more depleted with depth. Ice-rich sediments of Kara Sea coasts, especially those with massive tabular ground ice, hold large amounts of methane making them potential sources of methane emissions under projected warming temperatures and increasing rates of coastal erosion.

MONITORING OF THE THERMOABRASIONAL AND ACCUMULATIVE COASTS NEAR THE UNDERWATER GAS PIPELINE ROUTE ACROSS THE BAYDARATSKAYA BAY, KARA SEA

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataliya Belova ◽  
Nataliya Belova ◽  
Alisa Baranskaya ◽  
Alisa Baranskaya ◽  
Osip Kokin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Storm Surges ◽  
Gas Pipeline ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Yamal Peninsula ◽  
Permafrost Degradation ◽  
Nearshore Zone ◽  
Barrier Beach ◽  
Energy Dissipater ◽  
Pipeline Route

The coasts of Baydaratskaya Bay are composed by loose frozen sediments. At Yamal Peninsula accumulative coasts are predominant at the site where pipeline crosses the coast, while thermoabrasional coast are prevail at the Ural coast crossing site. Coastal dynamics monitoring on both sites is conducted using field and remote methods starting from the end of 1980s. As a result of construction in the coastal zone the relief morphology was disturbed, both lithodynamics and thermal regime of the permafrost within the areas of several km around the sites where gas pipeline crosses coastline was changed. At Yamal coast massive removal of deposits from the beach and tideflat took place. The morphology of barrier beach, which previously was a natural wave energy dissipater, was disturbed. This promoted inland penetration of storm surges and permafrost degradation under the barrier beach. At Ural coast the topsoil was disrupted by construction trucks, which affected thermal regime of the upper part of permafrost and lead to active layer deepening. Thermoerosion and thermoabrasion processes have activated on coasts, especially at areas with icy sediments, ice wedges and massive ice beds. Construction of cofferdams resulted in overlapping of sediments transit on both coasts and caused sediment deficit on nearby nearshore zone areas. The result of technogenic disturbances was widespread coastal erosion activation, which catastrophic scale is facilitated by climate warming in the Arctic.

A new genus of frenulates (Annelida: Siboglinidae) from shallow waters of the Yenisey River estuary, Kara Sea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. P. Karaseva ◽  
N. N. Rimskaya-Korsakova ◽  
I. A. Ekimova ◽  
M. M. Gantsevich ◽  
V. N. Kokarev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Genus ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Posterior Part ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Molecular Study ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Permafrost Degradation ◽  
Bottom Water Temperature

Only seven frenulate species are currently known along the Eurasian coast of the Arctic Ocean. We describe a new genus and a new species of frenulates Crispabrachia yenisey, gen. nov. et sp. nov. The morphological analysis involved standard anatomical techniques, semithin sections and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The molecular study included four markers (partial COI, 16S, 18S and 28S) and implemented Bayesian and Maximum likelihood phylogenetic approaches. The description of Crispabrachia gen. nov. is the first documented finding of frenulates in the Kara Sea at the estuary of the Yenisey River in rather shallow water (28 m). The establishment of a new genus is warranted based on the composition of morphological characters and several specific features including free, comparatively short curly tentacles, a triangular cephalic lobe with amplate base, the valvate extension of the posterior part of the forepart and prominent papillae on the nonmetameric region. The tube structure with prominent frills and the worm’s numerous tentacles, metameric papillae with cuticular plaques and segmental furrow on the forepart indicate that the new genus belongs to the polybrachiid group. Although the type locality in the Yenisey River estuary is unusual for siboglinids in general, the physical conditions here are common for other frenulates habitats, i.e. salinity ~30–33, bottom water temperature –1.5°C. This finding was made in the Yenisey Gulf in the region with the highest methane concentrations in the southern part of the Kara Sea that reflects permafrost degradation under the influence of river flow. Further study of the region would help to understand the factors influencing frenulate distributions and improve our knowledge of their biodiversity.

scholarly journals Metabarcoding Reveals High Diversity of Benthic Foraminifera Driven by Atlantification of Coastal Svalbard

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ngoc-Loi Nguyen ◽  
Joanna Pawłowska ◽  
Inès Barrenechea Angeles ◽  
Marek Zajaczkowski ◽  
Jan Pawłowski
Keyword(s):  
Water Masses ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Reference Database ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Svalbard Archipelago ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
The Impact ◽  
High Diversity

Abstract Arctic marine biodiversity is undergoing rapid changes due to global warming and modifications of oceanic water masses circulation. These changes have been demonstrated in the case of mega- and macrofauna, but much less is known about their impact on the biodiversity of smaller size organisms, such as foraminifera that represents a main component of meiofauna in the Arctic. Several studies analysed the distribution and diversity of Arctic foraminifera. However, all these studies are based exclusively on the morphological identification of specimens sorted from sediment samples. Here, we present the first assessment of Arctic foraminifera diversity based on metabarcoding of sediment DNA samples collected in fjords and open sea areas in Svalbard Archipelago. We obtained a total of 5,968,786 reads that represented 1,384 ASVs. More than half of the ASVs (51.7%) could not be assigned to any group in the reference database suggesting a high genetic novelty of Svalbard foraminifera. The sieved and unsieved samples resolved comparable communities, sharing 1023 ASVs, comprising over 97% of reads. Our analyses show that the foraminiferal assemblage differs between the localities, with communities distinctly separated between fjord and open sea stations. Each locality was characterized by a specific assemblage, with only a small overlap in the case of open sea areas. Our study demonstrates a clear pattern of the influence of water masses on the structure of foraminiferal communities. The stations situated on the western coast of Svalbard that is strongly influenced by warm and salty Atlantic Water (AW) are characterized by much higher diversity than stations in the northern and eastern part, where the impact of AW is less pronounced. This high diversity and specificity of Svalbard foraminifera associated with water mass distribution indicate that the foraminiferal metabarcoding data can be a very useful tool for inferring present and past environmental conditions in the Arctic.

scholarly journals Impact of Future Climate and Vegetation on the Hydrology of an Arctic Headwater Basin at the Tundra–Taiga Transition

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian A. Krogh ◽  
John W. Pomeroy
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Permafrost Degradation ◽  
Blowing Snow ◽  
Projected Changes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The rapidly warming Arctic is experiencing permafrost degradation and shrub expansion. Future climate projections show a clear increase in mean annual temperature and increasing precipitation in the Arctic; however, the impact of these changes on hydrological cycling in Arctic headwater basins is poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of climate change, as represented by simulations using a high-resolution atmospheric model under a pseudo-global-warming configuration, and projected changes in vegetation, using a spatially distributed and physically based Arctic hydrological model, on a small headwater basin at the tundra–taiga transition in northwestern Canada. Climate projections under the RCP8.5 emission scenario show a 6.1°C warming, a 38% increase in annual precipitation, and a 19 W m−2 increase in all-wave annual irradiance over the twenty-first century. Hydrological modeling results suggest a shift in hydrological processes with maximum peak snow accumulation increasing by 70%, snow-cover duration shortening by 26 days, active layer deepening by 0.25 m, evapotranspiration increasing by 18%, and sublimation decreasing by 9%. This results in an intensification of the hydrological regime by doubling discharge volume, a 130% increase in spring runoff, and earlier and larger peak streamflow. Most hydrological changes were found to be driven by climate change; however, increasing vegetation cover and density reduced blowing snow redistribution and sublimation, and increased evaporation from intercepted rainfall. This study provides the first detailed investigation of projected changes in climate and vegetation on the hydrology of an Arctic headwater basin, and so it is expected to help inform larger-scale climate impact studies in the Arctic.

scholarly journals Seasonal Progression of Ground Displacement Identified with Satellite Radar Interferometry and the Impact of Unusually Warm Conditions on Permafrost at the Yamal Peninsula in 2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 1865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annett Bartsch ◽  
Marina Leibman ◽  
Tazio Strozzi ◽  
Artem Khomutov ◽  
Barbara Widhalm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Layer ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Radar Interferometry ◽  
Yamal Peninsula ◽  
Active Layer Thickness ◽  
Degree Days ◽  
Seasonal Evolution ◽  
X Band ◽  
The Impact

Ground subsidence monitoring by Synthetic Aperture Radar interferometry (InSAR) over Arctic permafrost areas is largely limited by long revisit intervals, which can lead to signal decorrelation. Recent satellite missions such as COSMO-Skymed (X-band) and Sentinel-1 (C-band) have comparably short time intervals of a few days. We analyze dense records of COSMO-Skymed from 2013 and 2016 and of Sentinel-1 from 2016, 2017, and 2018 for the unfrozen period over central Yamal (Russia). These years were distinct in environmental conditions and 2016 in particular was unusually warm. We evaluate the InSAR-derived displacement with in situ subsidence records, active-layer thickness measurements, borehole temperature records, meteorological data, C-band scatterometer records, and a land-cover classification based on Sentinel-1 and -2 data. Our results indicate that a comparison of seasonal thaw evolution between years is feasible after accounting for the early thaw data gap in InSAR time series (as a result of snow cover) through an assessment with respect to degree-days of thawing. Average rates of subsidence agree between in situ and Sentinel-1 (corrected for viewing geometry), with 3.9 mm and 4.3 mm per 100 degree-days of thaw at the test site. X-band and C-band records agree well with each other, including seasonal evolution of subsidence. The average displacement is more than twice in magnitude at the active-layer monitoring test site in 2016 compared to the other years. We further demonstrate that InSAR displacement can not only provide information on the magnitude of ground thaw but also on soil properties through analyses of seasonal evolution in extreme years.

Comprehensive Assessment and Targeted Approach to the Implementation of the Gas-Lift Method of Operation on the Yamal Peninsula Novy Port Field

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksander Nikolaevich Blyablyas ◽  
Sergey Anatolevich Vershinin ◽  
Petr Nikolaevich Afanasiev ◽  
Ayrat Anvarovich Mingazov ◽  
Rustem Faridovich Akhmetgareev
Keyword(s):  
Gas Condensate ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Yamal Peninsula ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Improve Efficiency ◽  
Operation Parameters ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Yamal Peninsula

Abstract As geological environment becomes more complicated, specifics of oil fields with high gas content more demanding, and the Company's requirements for assets development efficiency more stringent, new challenges arise that require application of high-tech approaches and new tools to solve the tasks set. The era of "easy" oil is far behind, and there are no "simple" tasks left, so the key goal of oil companies now is to radically improve efficiency of existing "difficult" fields including development of gas condensate reservoirs and oil rims. The interest in development of new approaches to improve efficiency of the Novoportovskoye field is caused by the huge potential of the asset. Despite the fact that the field was discovered back in 1964, its remaining reserves are estimated at more than 250 million tons of oil and gas condensate and more than 270 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which are concentrated in five reservoirs. The Novoportovskoye field is the northernmost and largest on the Yamal Peninsula, but the complexity of its development and operation is caused not so much by geography and the lack of transport infrastructure but by the presence of a gas cap, low reservoir permeability, the occurrence of underlying water, and high gas content in produced reservoir fluid. The high gas content complicates the production process. The main method of operation in the existing fields of the Yamal Peninsula is artificial lift by electric submersible pumps (ESP) on rental basis. Given the remoteness and isolation of the Arctic region, the high cost of equipment rental, and the low efficiency of ESPs in liquids with high content of dissolved gas, it is only fair to ask a question of whether there is a tool that may allow us to predict operation parameters for different lift methods. The existing models and tools intended to assess behavior of the field are not good enough to fully predict gas breakthrough rates, optimize well operation parameters in case of short-term production forecasting, or select the optimal lift method. In this paper, we described application of an integrated modeling process for a targeted assessment of well operation parameters at the Novoportovskoye field. Also, in the framework of this paper, we performed a technical and economic estimation of the options under consideration, and formulated some recommendations to improve efficiency of development and operation of the field under the impact of the existing complicating factors.

Carbon degradation in Subarctic organic permafrost (peat plateaus) after thawing – what constraints CO2 and CH4 production? 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigrid Trier Kjær ◽  
Nora Nedkvitne ◽  
Sebastian Westermann ◽  
Inge Althuizen ◽  
Peter Dörsch
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Degradation Kinetics ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Permafrost Degradation ◽  
Northern Norway ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Peat Plateaus ◽  
Carbon Degradation

<p>Rapid warming in Subarctic areas releases large amounts of frozen carbon which can potentially result in large CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> emissions to the atmosphere. In Northern Norway vast amount of carbon are stored in peat plateaus, but these landscape elements have been found to decrease laterally since at least the 1950s. Peat plateaus are very sensitive to climate change as the permafrost is relatively warm compared to permafrost found in the arctic. So far, only limited information is available about potential degradation kinetics of organic carbon in these ecosystems. We sampled organic matter from depth profiles along a well-documented chronosequence of permafrost degradation in Northern Norway. After thawing over-night, we incubated permafrost and active layer for up to 3 months at 10°C. To determine factors constraining degradation, we measured gas kinetics (O<sub>2</sub>, CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub>) under different conditions (oxic/anoxic, loosely packed/stirred suspensions in water, with altered DOC content and nutrient amendments) and related them to pH, DOC, element (C, N, P, S) and δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>15</sup>N signatures of the peat. Organic matter degradation was strongly inhibited in the absence of oxygen. By contrast, CH<sub>4</sub> production or release seemed to be related to soil depth rather than incubation conditions and was found to be highest in samples from the transition zone between active layer and permafrost. Degradation rates and their dependencies on peat characteristics will be compared with permafrost characteristics along the chronosequence and additional experiments exploring the role of O<sub>2</sub>, DOC and other nutrients for carbon degradation will be discussed.</p>

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