scholarly journals The organic carbon pool of permafrost regions on the Qinghai–Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 5015-5033 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Mu ◽  
T. Zhang ◽  
X. Peng ◽  
B. Cao ◽  
X. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Deep Layer ◽  
Carbon Pools ◽  
Soil Profiles ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Frozen Soils ◽  
Organic Carbon Pool ◽  
Organic Carbon Storage ◽  
Permafrost Regions

Abstract. Presently, Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database was not involved permafrost organic carbon storage on the Qinghai–Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau (QXP). Here we reported a new estimation of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools of the permafrost regions on the QXP at different layers from the top 1 to 25 m depth using a total of 706 soil profiles. The SOC pools were estimated to be 15.29 Pg for the 0–1 m, 4.84 Pg for the 1–2 m, 3.89 Pg for the 2–3 m and 43.19 Pg for the layer of 3–25 m. The percentage (64.3%) of SOC storage in deep layer (3–25 m) on the QXP was larger than that (38.8%) in the northern circumpolar permafrost region. In total, permafrost region on the QXP contains approximately 67.2 Pg SOC, of which approximately 47.08 Pg (70.1%) stores in perennially frozen soils and deposits. The present study suggested that the permafrost organic carbon pools of Northern Hemisphere should be updated from 1672 to 1739 Pg.

scholarly journals Editorial: Organic carbon pools in permafrost regions on the Qinghai–Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 479-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Mu ◽  
T. Zhang ◽  
Q. Wu ◽  
X. Peng ◽  
B. Cao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Total Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Carbon Pools ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
Deep Layers ◽  
Organic Carbon Storage ◽  
Permafrost Regions

Abstract. The current Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database did not include organic carbon storage in permafrost regions on the Qinghai–Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau (QXP). In this study, we reported a new estimation of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools in the permafrost regions on the QXP up to 25 m depth using a total of 190 soil profiles. The SOC pools were estimated to be 17.3 ± 5.3 Pg for the 0–1 m depth, 10.6 ± 2.7 Pg for the 1–2 m depth, 5.1 ± 1.4 Pg for the 2–3 m depth and 127.2 ± 37.3 Pg for the layer of 3–25 m depth. The percentage of SOC storage in deep layers (3–25 m) on the QXP (80%) was higher than that (39%) in the yedoma and thermokarst deposits in arctic regions. In total, permafrost regions on the QXP contain approximately 160 ± 87 Pg SOC, of which approximately 132 ± 77 Pg (83%) stores in perennially frozen soils and deposits. Total organic carbon pools in permafrost regions on the QXP was approximately 8.7% of that in northern circumpolar permafrost region. The present study demonstrates that the total organic carbon storage is about 1832 Pg in permafrost regions on northern hemisphere.

scholarly journals Spatial heterogeneity and environmental predictors of permafrost region soil organic carbon stocks

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. eaaz5236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umakant Mishra ◽  
Gustaf Hugelius ◽  
Eitan Shelef ◽  
Yuanhe Yang ◽  
Jens Strauss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Soil Profiles ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Environmental Predictors ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon Stocks ◽  
Soc Stocks

Large stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) have accumulated in the Northern Hemisphere permafrost region, but their current amounts and future fate remain uncertain. By analyzing dataset combining >2700 soil profiles with environmental variables in a geospatial framework, we generated spatially explicit estimates of permafrost-region SOC stocks, quantified spatial heterogeneity, and identified key environmental predictors. We estimated that 1014−175+194 Pg C are stored in the top 3 m of permafrost region soils. The greatest uncertainties occurred in circumpolar toe-slope positions and in flat areas of the Tibetan region. We found that soil wetness index and elevation are the dominant topographic controllers and surface air temperature (circumpolar region) and precipitation (Tibetan region) are significant climatic controllers of SOC stocks. Our results provide first high-resolution geospatial assessment of permafrost region SOC stocks and their relationships with environmental factors, which are crucial for modeling the response of permafrost affected soils to changing climate.

Soil organic carbon pool along different altitudinal level in the Sygera Mountains, Tibetan Plateau

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 476-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
He-ping Ma ◽  
Xiao-lin Yang ◽  
Qi-qiang Guo ◽  
Xin-jun Zhang ◽  
Chen-ni Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Pool ◽  
Organic Carbon Pool

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 Soil Organic Carbon Pools and Stocks in Permafrost-Affected Soils on the Tibetan Plateau

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e57024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Dörfer ◽  
Peter Kühn ◽  
Frank Baumann ◽  
Jin-Sheng He ◽  
Thomas Scholten
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Pools ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon Pools

scholarly journals Variation and control of soil organic carbon and other nutrients in permafrost regions on central Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 114013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjie Liu ◽  
Shengyun Chen ◽  
Qian Zhao ◽  
Zhizhong Sun ◽  
Jiawen Ren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
And Control ◽  
Permafrost Regions

scholarly journals Permafrost-affected soils and their carbon pools with a focus on the Russian Arctic

Solid Earth ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 595-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Zubrzycki ◽  
L. Kutzbach ◽  
E.-M. Pfeiffer
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Fundamental Property ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Quaternary Period ◽  
Organic Carbon Pool ◽  
Property Changes ◽  
Permafrost Regions

Abstract. Permafrost-affected soils have accumulated enormous pools of organic matter during the Quaternary period. The area occupied by these soils amounts to more than 8.6 million km2, which is about 27% of all land areas north of 50° N. Therefore, permafrost-affected soils are considered to be one of the important cryosphere elements within the climate system. Due to the cryopedogenic processes that form these particular soils and the overlying vegetation that is adapted to the arctic climate, organic matter has accumulated to the present extent of up to 1024 Pg (1 Pg = 1015 g = 1 Gt) of soil organic carbon stored within the uppermost 3 m of ground. Considering the observed progressive climate change and the projected polar amplification, permafrost-affected soils will undergo fundamental property changes. Higher turnover and mineralisation rates of the organic matter are consequences of these changes, which are expected to result in an increased release of climate-relevant trace gases into the atmosphere. The controversy of whether permafrost regions continue accumulating carbon or already function as a carbon source remains open until today. An increased focus on this subject matter, especially in underrepresented Siberian regions, could contribute to a more robust estimation of the soil organic carbon pool of permafrost regions and at the same time improve the understanding of the carbon sink and source functions of permafrost-affected soils.

scholarly journals Soil organic carbon storage in a mountain permafrost area of Central Asia (High Altai, Russia)

AMBIO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Didac Pascual ◽  
Peter Kuhry ◽  
Tatiana Raudina
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Total Size ◽  
Mountain Permafrost ◽  
Organic Carbon Storage ◽  
Subsequent Decomposition ◽  
Soc Stocks

AbstractThe thawing and subsequent decomposition of large stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) currently stored in the northern circumpolar permafrost region are projected to result in a ‘positive’ feedback on global warming. The magnitude of this feedback can only be assessed with improved knowledge about the total size and geographic distribution of the permafrost SOC pool. This study investigates SOC storage in an under-sampled mountain permafrost area in the Russian High Altai. SOC stocks from 39 soil pits are upscaled using a GIS-based land cover classification. We found that the top 100 cm of soils in Aktru Valley and the adjacent Kuray Basin only holds on average 2.6 ± 0.6 kg C m−2 (95% confidence interval), of which only c. 1% is stored in permafrost. Global warming will result in an upward shift of alpine life zones, with new plant cover and soil development at higher elevations. As a result, this type of mountain permafrost area might act as a net C sink in the future, representing a ‘negative’ feedback on global warming.

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