Polygonal tundra geomorphological change in response to warming alters future CO2 and CH4 flux on the Barrow Peninsula

The landscape of the Barrow Peninsula in northern Alaska is thought to have formed over centuries to millennia, and is now dominated by ice‐wedge polygonal tundra that spans drained thaw‐lake basins and interstitial tundra. In nearby tundra regions, studies have identified a rapid increase in thermokarst formation (i.e., pits) over recent decades in response to climate warming, facilitating changes in polygonal tundra geomorphology. We assessed the future impact of 100 years of tundra geomorphic change on peak growing season carbon exchange in response to: (i) landscape succession associated with the thaw‐lake cycle; and (ii) low, moderate, and extreme scenarios of thermokarst pit formation (10%, 30%, and 50%) reported for Alaskan arctic tundra sites. We developed a 30 × 30 m resolution tundra geomorphology map (overall accuracy:75%; Kappa:0.69) for our ~1800 km² study area composed of ten classes; drained slope, high center polygon, flat‐center polygon, low center polygon, coalescent low center polygon, polygon trough, meadow, ponds, rivers, and lakes, to determine their spatial distribution across the Barrow Peninsula. Land‐atmosphere CO₂ and CH₄ flux data were collected for the summers of 2006–2010 at eighty‐two sites near Barrow, across the mapped classes. The developed geomorphic map was used for the regional assessment of carbon flux. Results indicate (i) at present during peak growing season on the Barrow Peninsula, CO₂ uptake occurs at ‐902.3 10⁶gC‐CO₂ day^?1 (uncertainty using 95% CI is between ?438.3 and ?1366 10⁶gC‐CO₂ day^?1) and CH₄ flux at 28.9 10⁶gC‐CH₄ day^?1(uncertainty using 95% CI is between 12.9 and 44.9 10⁶gC‐CH₄ day^?1), (ii) one century of future landscape change associated with the thaw‐lake cycle only slightly alter CO₂ and CH₄ exchange, while (iii) moderate increases in thermokarst pits would strengthen both CO₂ uptake (?166.9 10⁶gC‐CO₂ day^?1) and CH₄ flux (2.8 10⁶gC‐CH₄ day^?1) with geomorphic change from low to high center polygons, cumulatively resulting in an estimated negative feedback to warming during peak growing season.     

Spatial variation in landscape‐level CO2 and CH4 fluxes from arctic coastal tundra: influence from vegetation,wetness, and the thaw lake cycle

Regional quantification of arctic CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes remains difficult due to high landscape heterogeneity coupled with a sparse measurement network. Most of the arctic coastal tundra near Barrow, Alaska is part of the thaw lake cycle, which includes current thaw lakes and a 5500‐year chronosequence of vegetated thaw lake basins. However, spatial variability in carbon fluxes from these features remains grossly understudied. Here, we present an analysis of whole‐ecosystem CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes from 20 thaw lake cycle features during the 2011 growing season. We found that the thaw lake cycle was largely responsible for spatial variation in CO₂ flux, mostly due to its control on gross primary productivity (GPP). Current lakes were significant CO₂ sources that varied little. Vegetated basins showed declining GPP and CO₂ sink with age (R² = 67% and 57%, respectively). CH₄ fluxes measured from a subset of 12 vegetated basins showed no relationship with age or CO₂ flux components. Instead, higher CH₄ fluxes were related to greater landscape wetness (R² = 57%) and thaw depth (additional R² = 28%). Spatial variation in CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes had good satellite remote sensing indicators, and we estimated the region to be a small CO₂ sink of ?4.9 ± 2.4 (SE) g C m^?2 between 11 June and 25 August, which was countered by a CH₄ source of 2.1 ± 0.2 (SE) g C m^?2. Results from our scaling exercise showed that developing or validating regional estimates based on single tower sites can result in significant bias, on average by a factor 4 for CO₂ flux and 30% for CH₄ flux. Although our results are specific to the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska, the degree of landscape‐scale variability, large‐scale controls on carbon exchange, and implications for regional estimation seen here likely have wide relevance to other arctic landscapes.     

Plant transport and methane production as controls on methane flux from arctic wet meadow tundra

The roles of plant transport and CH₄ production in controlling CH₄ flux from wet meadow tundra communities were investigated. Plant transport was the dominant pathway of CH₄ flux from this ecosystem. Most CH₄ production (measured within situ anaerobic incubations) occurred well below the water table, and C supply (estimated by anaerobic CO₂ production) was the best single predictor of CH₄ production rates. Plant transport of CH₄ was controlled both by CH₄ supply and the plant species.Eriophorum angustifolium transported substantially more CH₄ than didCarex aquatilis, due to differences in size and structure of the two species. The composition of the plant community was a greater control on CH₄ flux from the site than either water table height (which varied only slightly) or CH₄ production rates, indicating the importance of species-specific plant dynamics in controlling CH₄ flux from arctic wetlands.     

Recovery of ecosystem carbon fluxes and storage from herbivory

The carbon (C) sink strength of arctic tundra is under pressure from increasing populations of arctic breeding geese. In this study we examined how CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes, plant biomass and soil C responded to the removal of vertebrate herbivores in a high arctic wet moss meadow that has been intensively used by barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) for ca. 20 years. We used 4 and 9 years old grazing exclosures to investigate the potential for recovery of ecosystem function during the growing season (July 2007). The results show greater above- and below-ground vascular plant biomass within the grazing exclosures with graminoid biomass being most responsive to the removal of herbivory whilst moss biomass remained unchanged. The changes in biomass switched the system from net emission to net uptake of CO₂ (0.47 and −0.77 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ in grazed and exclosure plots, respectively) during the growing season and doubled the C storage in live biomass. In contrast, the treatment had no impact on the CH₄ fluxes, the total litter C pool or the soil C concentration. The rapid recovery of the above ground biomass and CO₂ fluxes demonstrates the plasticity of this high arctic ecosystem in terms of response to changing herbivore pressure.     

Nonlinear CO2 flux response to 7 years of experimentally induced permafrost thaw

Rapid Arctic warming is expected to increase global greenhouse gas concentrations as permafrost thaw exposes immense stores of frozen carbon (C) to microbial decomposition. Permafrost thaw also stimulates plant growth, which could offset C loss. Using data from 7 years of experimental Air and Soil warming in moist acidic tundra, we show that Soil warming had a much stronger effect on CO₂ flux than Air warming. Soil warming caused rapid permafrost thaw and increased ecosystem respiration (R_eco), gross primary productivity (GPP), and net summer CO₂ storage (NEE). Over 7 years R_eco, GPP, and NEE also increased in Control (i.e., ambient plots), but this change could be explained by slow thaw in Control areas. In the initial stages of thaw, R_eco, GPP, and NEE increased linearly with thaw across all treatments, despite different rates of thaw. As thaw in Soil warming continued to increase linearly, ground surface subsidence created saturated microsites and suppressed R_eco, GPP, and NEE. However R_eco and GPP remained high in areas with large Eriophorum vaginatum biomass. In general NEE increased with thaw, but was more strongly correlated with plant biomass than thaw, indicating that higher R_eco in deeply thawed areas during summer months was balanced by GPP. Summer CO₂ flux across treatments fit a single quadratic relationship that captured the functional response of CO₂ flux to thaw, water table depth, and plant biomass. These results demonstrate the importance of indirect thaw effects on CO₂ flux: plant growth and water table dynamics. Nonsummer R_eco models estimated that the area was an annual CO₂ source during all years of observation. Nonsummer CO₂ loss in warmer, more deeply thawed soils exceeded the increases in summer GPP, and thawed tundra was a net annual CO₂ source.     

Above‐ and below‐ground plant biomass response to experimental warming in northern Alaska

Question: Does experimental warming, designed to simulate future warming of the Arctic, change the biomass allocation and mycorrhizal infection of tundra plants? Location: High Arctic tundra near Barrow, Alaska, USA (71°18′N 156°40′W). Methods: Above and below ground plant biomass of all species was harvested following 3–4 yr of 1‐2°C of experimental warming. Biomass allocation and arbuscular mycorrhizal infection were also examined in the two dominant species, Salix rotundifolia and Carex aquatilis. Results: Above‐ground biomass of graminoids increased in response to warming but there was no difference in total plant biomass or the ratio of above‐ground to below‐ground biomass for the community as a whole. Carex aquatilis increased above‐ground biomass and proportionally allocated more biomass above ground in response to warming. Salix rotundifolia increased the amount of above‐ and below‐ground biomass allocated per leaf in response to warming. Mycorrhizal infection rates showed no direct response to warming, but total abundance was estimated to have likely increased in response to warming owing to increased root biomass of S. rotundifolia. Conclusions: The community as a whole was resistant to short‐term warming and showed no significant changes in above‐ or below‐ground biomass despite significant increases in above‐ground biomass of graminoids. However, the patterns of biomass allocation for C. aquatilis and S. rotundifolia did change with warming. This suggests that long‐term warming may result in changes in the above‐ground to below‐ground biomass ratio of the community.     

Ecosystem carbon response of an Arctic peatland to simulated permafrost thaw

Permafrost peatlands are biogeochemical hot spots in the Arctic as they store vast amounts of carbon. Permafrost thaw could release part of these long‐term immobile carbon stocks as the greenhouse gases (GHGs) carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) to the atmosphere, but how much, at which time‐span and as which gaseous carbon species is still highly uncertain. Here we assess the effect of permafrost thaw on GHG dynamics under different moisture and vegetation scenarios in a permafrost peatland. A novel experimental approach using intact plant–soil systems (mesocosms) allowed us to simulate permafrost thaw under near‐natural conditions. We monitored GHG flux dynamics via high‐resolution flow‐through gas measurements, combined with detailed monitoring of soil GHG concentration dynamics, yielding insights into GHG production and consumption potential of individual soil layers. Thawing the upper 10–15 cm of permafrost under dry conditions increased CO₂ emissions to the atmosphere (without vegetation: 0.74 ± 0.49 vs. 0.84 ± 0.60 g CO₂–C m^?2 day^?1; with vegetation: 1.20 ± 0.50 vs. 1.32 ± 0.60 g CO₂–C m^?2 day^?1, mean ± SD, pre‐ and post‐thaw, respectively). Radiocarbon dating (¹⁴C) of respired CO₂, supported by an independent curve‐fitting approach, showed a clear contribution (9%–27%) of old carbon to this enhanced post‐thaw CO₂ flux. Elevated concentrations of CO₂, CH₄, and dissolved organic carbon at depth indicated not just pulse emissions during the thawing process, but sustained decomposition and GHG production from thawed permafrost. Oxidation of CH₄ in the peat column, however, prevented CH₄ release to the atmosphere. Importantly, we show here that, under dry conditions, peatlands strengthen the permafrost–carbon feedback by adding to the atmospheric CO₂ burden post‐thaw. However, as long as the water table remains low, our results reveal a strong CH₄ sink capacity in these types of Arctic ecosystems pre‐ and post‐thaw, with the potential to compensate part of the permafrost CO₂ losses over longer timescales.     

Toward understanding the contribution of waterbodies to the methane emissions of a permafrost landscape on a regional scale—A case study from the Mackenzie Delta,Canada

Waterbodies in the arctic permafrost zone are considered a major source of the greenhouse gas methane (CH₄) in addition to CH₄ emissions from arctic wetlands. However, the spatio‐temporal variability of CH₄ fluxes from waterbodies complicates spatial extrapolation of CH₄ measurements from single waterbodies. Therefore, their contribution to the CH₄ budget of the arctic permafrost zone is not yet well understood. Using the example of two study areas of 1,000 km² each in the Mackenzie Delta, Canada, we approach this issue (i) by analyzing correlations on the landscape scale between numerous waterbodies and CH₄ fluxes and (ii) by analyzing the influence of the spatial resolution of CH₄ flux data on the detected relationships. A CH₄ flux map with a resolution of 100 m was derived from two aircraft eddy‐covariance campaigns in the summers of 2012 and 2013. We combined the CH₄ flux map with high spatial resolution (2.5 m) waterbody maps from the Permafrost Region Pond and Lake Database and classified the waterbody depth based on Sentinel‐1 SAR backscatter data. Subsequently, we reduced the resolution of the CH₄ flux map to analyze if different spatial resolutions of CH₄ flux data affected the detectability of relationships between waterbody coverage, number, depth, or size and the CH₄ flux. We did not find consistent correlations between waterbody characteristics and the CH₄ flux in the two study areas across the different resolutions. Our results indicate that waterbodies in permafrost landscapes, even if they seem to be emission hot spots on an individual basis or contain zones of above average emissions, do currently not necessarily translate into significant CH₄ emission hot spots on a regional scale, but their role might change in a warmer climate.     

Long‐term deepened snow promotes tundra evergreen shrub growth and summertime ecosystem net CO2 gain but reduces soil carbon and nutrient pools

Arctic climate warming will be primarily during winter, resulting in increased snowfall in many regions. Previous tundra research on the impacts of deepened snow has generally been of short duration. Here, we report relatively long‐term (7–9 years) effects of experimentally deepened snow on plant community structure, net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE), and soil biogeochemistry in Canadian Low Arctic mesic shrub tundra. The snowfence treatment enhanced snow depth from 0.3 to ~1 m, increasing winter soil temperatures by ~3°C, but with no effect on summer soil temperature, moisture, or thaw depth. Nevertheless, shoot biomass of the evergreen shrub Rhododendron subarcticum was near‐doubled by the snowfences, leading to a 52% increase in aboveground vascular plant biomass. Additionally, summertime NEE rates, measured in collars containing similar plant biomass across treatments, were consistently reduced ~30% in the snowfenced plots due to decreased ecosystem respiration rather than increased gross photosynthesis. Phosphate in the organic soil layer (0–10 cm depth) and nitrate in the mineral soil layer (15–25 cm depth) were substantially reduced within the snowfences (47–70 and 43%–73% reductions, respectively, across sampling times). Finally, the snowfences tended (p = .08) to reduce mineral soil layer C% by 40%, but with considerable within‐ and among plot variation due to cryoturbation across the landscape. These results indicate that enhanced snow accumulation is likely to further increase dominance of R. subarcticum in its favored locations, and reduce summertime respiration and soil biogeochemical pools. Since evergreens are relatively slow growing and of low stature, their increased dominance may constrain vegetation‐related feedbacks to climate change. We found no evidence that deepened snow promoted deciduous shrub growth in mesic tundra, and conclude that the relatively strong R. subarcticum response to snow accumulation may explain the extensive spatial variability in observed circumpolar patterns of evergreen and deciduous shrub growth over the past 30 years.     

Response of tundra CH4 and CO2 flux tomanipulation of temperature and vegetation

We conducted plant species removals, air temperaturemanipulations, and vegetation and soil transplants inAlaskan wet-meadow and tussock tundra communities todetermine the relative importance of vegetation typeand environmental variables in controlling ecosystemmethane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) flux. Plastic greenhouses placed over wet-meadow tundraincreased air temperature, soil temperature, and soilmoisture, but did not affect CH₄ or CO₂ flux(measured in the dark). By contrast, removal ofsedges in the wet meadow significantly decreased fluxof CH₄, while moss removal tended to increaseCH₄ emissions. At 15 cm depth, pore-waterCH₄ concentrations were higher in sedge-removalthan in control plots, suggesting that sedgescontribute to CH₄ emissions by transportingCH₄ from anaerobic soil to the atmosphere, ratherthan by promoting methanogenesis. Inreciprocal-ecosystem transplants between thewet-meadow and tussock tundra communities, CH₄and CO₂ emissions were higher overall in thewet-meadow site, but were unrelated to transplantorigin. Methane flux was correlated with localvariation in soil temperature, thaw depth, andwater-table depth, but the relative importance ofthese factors varied through the season. Our resultssuggest that future changes in CH₄ and CO₂flux in response to climatic change will be morestrongly mediated by large-scale changes in vegetationand soil parameters than by direct temperature effects.     

Methane emission from Siberian arctic polygonal tundra: eddy covariance measurements and modeling

Eddy covariance measurements of methane flux were carried out in an arctic tundra landscape in the central Lena River Delta at 72°N. The measurements covered the seasonal course of mid‐summer to early winter in 2003 and early spring to mid‐summer in 2004, including the periods of spring thaw and autumnal freeze back. The study site is characterized by very cold and deep permafrost and a continental climate with a mean annual air temperature of ?14.7 °C. The surface is characterized by wet polygonal tundra, with a micro‐relief consisting of raised moderately dry sites, depressed wet sites, polygonal ponds, and lakes. We found relatively low fluxes of typically 30 mg CH₄ m^?2 day^?1 during mid‐summer and identified soil temperature and near‐surface atmospheric turbulence as the factors controlling methane emission. The influence of atmospheric turbulence was attributed to the high coverage of open water surfaces in the tundra. The soil thaw depth and water table position were found to have no clear effect on methane fluxes. The excess emission during spring thaw was estimated to be about 3% of the total flux measured during June–October. Winter emissions were modeled based on the functional relationships found in the measured data. The annual methane emission was estimated to be 3.15 g m^?2. This is low compared with values reported for similar ecosystems. Reason for this were thought to be the very low permafrost temperature in the study region, the sandy soil texture and low bio‐availability of nutrients in the soils, and the high surface coverage of moist to dry micro‐sites. The methane emission accounted for about 14% of the annual ecosystem carbon balance. Considering the global warming potential of methane, the methane emission turned the tundra into an effective greenhouse gas source.     

Spatio-temporal variability and environmental controls of methane fluxes at the forest–tundra ecotone in the Fennoscandian mountains

We report on temporal and spatial variability in net methane (CH₄) fluxes measured during the thaw period of 1999 and 2000 at three study sites along a c. 8° latitudinal gradient in the Fennoscandian mountain range and across the mountain birch‐tundra ecotone. All of the sites studied here were underlain by well‐drained mesic soils. In addition, we conducted warming experiments in the field to simulate future climate change. Our results show significant CH₄ uptake at mesic sites spanning the forest‐tundra ecotone: on average 0.031 and 0.0065 mg CH₄ m^?2 h^?1 during the 1999 and 2000 thaw periods, respectively, in Abisko (Sweden), and 0.019 and 0.032 mg CH₄ m^?2 h^?1 during 2000 in Dovrefjell and Joatka (Norway), respectively. These values were both temporally and spatially highly variable, and multiple regression analysis of data from Abisko showed no consistent relationship with soil‐moisture status and temperature. Also, there was no consistent difference in CH₄ fluxes between forest and tundra plots; our data, therefore, provide no support for the hypothesis that conversion of tundra to mountain birch forest, or vice versa, would result in a systematic change in the magnitude or direction of net CH₄ fluxes in this region. Experimental warming treatments were associated with a 2.4 °C increase in soil temperatures (5 cm depth) in 1999 in Abisko, but no consistent soil warming was noted at any of the three field locations during 2000. In spite of this, there were significant treatment effects, principally early during the thaw period, with increased CH₄ uptake compared with control (ambient) plots. These results suggest that direct effects of air warming on vegetation processes (e.g. transpiration, root exudation and nutrient assimilation) can influence CH₄ fluxes even in predominantly methanotrophic environments. We conclude that net CH₄ oxidation is significant in these cold, mesic soils and could be strengthened in an environmental change scenario involving a combination of (i) an increase in the length of the thaw period and (ii) increased mean temperatures during this period in combination with decreased soil‐moisture content.     

Aircraft‐derived regional scale CO2 fluxes from vegetated drained thaw‐lake basins and interstitial tundra on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska

The landscape surface of the Barrow Peninsula of Alaska is a mosaic of small ponds, thaw lakes, different aged vegetated drained thaw‐lake basins (VDTLBs), and interstitial tundra which have been dynamically formed by both short‐ and long‐term processes. We used a combination of tower‐ and aircraft‐based eddy covariance measurements to characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of CO₂, latent, and sensible heat fluxes along with MODIS NDVI, and were able to scale the aircraft‐based CO₂ fluxes to the 1802 km² Barrow Peninsula region. During typical 2006 summer conditions, the midday hourly CO₂ flux over the region was ?2.04 × 10⁵ kg CO₂ h^?1. The CO₂ fluxes among the interstitial tundra, Ancient, and Old VDTLBs, as well as between the Medium and Young VDTLBs were not significantly different. Combined, the interstitial tundra and Old and Ancient VDTLBs represent～67% of the Barrow Peninsula surface area, accounting for ～59% of the regional flux signal. Although the Medium and Young VDTLBs represent ～11% of the surface area, they account for a large portion, ～35%, of the total regional flux. The remaining ～22% of the surface area are lakes and contributed the remaining ～6% of the total regional flux. Previous studies treated vegetated areas of the region as a single surface type with measurements from a few study sites; doing so could underestimate the regional flux by ～22%. Here, we demonstrate that aircraft‐based systems have the ability to cover large spatial scales while measuring the turbulent fluxes across a number of surfaces and combined with ground‐ and satellite‐based measurements provide a valuable tool for both scaling and validation of regional‐scale fluxes.     

Winter precipitation and snow accumulation drive the methane sink or source strength of Arctic tussock tundra

Arctic winter precipitation is projected to increase with global warming, but some areas will experience decreases in snow accumulation. Although Arctic CH₄ emissions may represent a significant climate forcing feedback, long‐term impacts of changes in snow accumulation on CH₄ fluxes remain uncertain. We measured ecosystem CH₄ fluxes and soil CH₄ and CO₂ concentrations and ¹³C composition to investigate the metabolic pathways and transport mechanisms driving moist acidic tundra CH₄ flux over the growing season (Jun–Aug) after 18 years of experimental snow depth increases and decreases. Deeper snow increased soil wetness and warming, reducing soil %O₂ levels and increasing thaw depth. Soil moisture, through changes in soil %O₂ saturation, determined predominance of methanotrophy or methanogenesis, with soil temperature regulating the ecosystem CH₄ sink or source strength. Reduced snow (RS) increased the fraction of oxidized CH₄ (Fox) by 75–120% compared to Ambient, switching the system from a small source to a net CH₄ sink (21 ± 2 and ?31 ± 1 mg CH₄ m^?2 season^?1 at Ambient and RS). Deeper snow reduced Fox by 35–40% and 90–100% in medium‐ (MS) and high‐ (HS) snow additions relative to Ambient, contributing to increasing the CH₄ source strength of moist acidic tundra (464 ± 15 and 3561 ± 97 mg CH₄ m^?2 season^?1 at MS and HS). Decreases in Fox with deeper snow were partly due to increases in plant‐mediated CH₄ transport associated with the expansion of tall graminoids. Deeper snow enhanced CH₄ production within newly thawed soils, responding mainly to soil warming rather than to increases in acetate fermentation expected from thaw‐induced increases in SOC availability. Our results suggest that increased winter precipitation will increase the CH₄ source strength of Arctic tundra, but the resulting positive feedback on climate change will depend on the balance between areas with more or less snow accumulation than they are currently facing.     

A spatially explicit analysis to extrapolate carbon fluxes in upland tundra where permafrost is thawing

One of the most important changes in high‐latitude ecosystems in response to climatic warming may be the thawing of permafrost soil. In upland tundra, the thawing of ice‐rich permafrost can create localized surface subsidence called thermokarst, which may change the soil environment and influence ecosystem carbon release and uptake. We established an intermediate scale (a scale in between point chamber measurements and eddy covariance footprint) ecosystem carbon flux study in Alaskan tundra where permafrost thaw and thermokarst development had been occurring for several decades. The main goal of our study was to examine how dynamic ecosystem carbon fluxes [gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (R_eco), and net ecosystem exchange (NEE)] relate to ecosystem variables that incorporate the structural and edaphic changes that co‐occur with permafrost thaw and thermokarst development. We then examined how these measured ecosystem carbon fluxes responded to upscaling. For both spatially extensive measurements made intermittently during the peak growing season and intensive measurements made over the entire growing season, ecosystem variables including degree of surface subsidence, thaw depth, and aboveground biomass were selected in a mixed model selection procedure as the ‘best’ predictors of GPP, R_eco, and NEE. Variables left out of the model (often as a result of autocorrelation) included soil temperature, moisture, and normalized difference vegetation index. These results suggest that the structural changes (surface subsidence, thaw depth, aboveground biomass) that integrate multiple effects of permafrost thaw can be useful components of models used to estimate ecosystem carbon exchange across thermokarst affected landscapes.     

A pan‐Arctic synthesis of CH4 and CO2 production from anoxic soil incubations

Permafrost thaw can alter the soil environment through changes in soil moisture, frequently resulting in soil saturation, a shift to anaerobic decomposition, and changes in the plant community. These changes, along with thawing of previously frozen organic material, can alter the form and magnitude of greenhouse gas production from permafrost ecosystems. We synthesized existing methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) production measurements from anaerobic incubations of boreal and tundra soils from the geographic permafrost region to evaluate large‐scale controls of anaerobic CO₂ and CH₄ production and compare the relative importance of landscape‐level factors (e.g., vegetation type and landscape position), soil properties (e.g., pH, depth, and soil type), and soil environmental conditions (e.g., temperature and relative water table position). We found fivefold higher maximum CH₄ production per gram soil carbon from organic soils than mineral soils. Maximum CH₄ production from soils in the active layer (ground that thaws and refreezes annually) was nearly four times that of permafrost per gram soil carbon, and CH₄ production per gram soil carbon was two times greater from sites without permafrost than sites with permafrost. Maximum CH₄ and median anaerobic CO₂ production decreased with depth, while CO₂:CH₄ production increased with depth. Maximum CH₄ production was highest in soils with herbaceous vegetation and soils that were either consistently or periodically inundated. This synthesis identifies the need to consider biome, landscape position, and vascular/moss vegetation types when modeling CH₄ production in permafrost ecosystems and suggests the need for longer‐term anaerobic incubations to fully capture CH₄ dynamics. Our results demonstrate that as climate warms in arctic and boreal regions, rates of anaerobic CO₂ and CH₄ production will increase, not only as a result of increased temperature, but also from shifts in vegetation and increased ground saturation that will accompany permafrost thaw.     

Experimentally increased nutrient availability at the permafrost thaw front selectively enhances biomass production of deep‐rooting subarctic peatland species

Climate warming increases nitrogen (N) mineralization in superficial soil layers (the dominant rooting zone) of subarctic peatlands. Thawing and subsequent mineralization of permafrost increases plant‐available N around the thaw‐front. Because plant production in these peatlands is N‐limited, such changes may substantially affect net primary production and species composition. We aimed to identify the potential impact of increased N‐availability due to permafrost thawing on subarctic peatland plant production and species performance, relative to the impact of increased N‐availability in superficial organic layers. Therefore, we investigated whether plant roots are present at the thaw‐front (45 cm depth) and whether N‐uptake (¹⁵N‐tracer) at the thaw‐front occurs during maximum thaw‐depth, coinciding with the end of the growing season. Moreover, we performed a unique 3‐year belowground fertilization experiment with fully factorial combinations of deep‐ (thaw‐front) and shallow‐fertilization (10 cm depth) and controls. We found that certain species are present with roots at the thaw‐front (Rubus chamaemorus) and have the capacity (R. chamaemorus, Eriophorum vaginatum) for N‐uptake from the thaw‐front between autumn and spring when aboveground tissue is largely senescent. In response to 3‐year shallow‐belowground fertilization (S) both shallow‐ (Empetrum hermaphroditum) and deep‐rooting species increased aboveground biomass and N‐content, but only deep‐rooting species responded positively to enhanced nutrient supply at the thaw‐front (D). Moreover, the effects of shallow‐fertilization and thaw‐front fertilization on aboveground biomass production of the deep‐rooting species were similar in magnitude (S: 71%; D: 111% increase compared to control) and additive (S + D: 181% increase). Our results show that plant‐available N released from thawing permafrost can form a thus far overlooked additional N‐source for deep‐rooting subarctic plant species and increase their biomass production beyond the already established impact of warming‐driven enhanced shallow N‐mineralization. This may result in shifts in plant community composition and may partially counteract the increased carbon losses from thawing permafrost.     

Spring photosynthetic onset and net CO2 uptake in Alaska triggered by landscape thawing

The springtime transition to regional‐scale onset of photosynthesis and net ecosystem carbon uptake in boreal and tundra ecosystems are linked to the soil freeze–thaw state. We present evidence from diagnostic and inversion models constrained by satellite fluorescence and airborne CO₂ from 2012 to 2014 indicating the timing and magnitude of spring carbon uptake in Alaska correlates with landscape thaw and ecoregion. Landscape thaw in boreal forests typically occurs in late April (DOY 111 ± 7) with a 29 ± 6 day lag until photosynthetic onset. North Slope tundra thaws 3 weeks later (DOY 133 ± 5) but experiences only a 20 ± 5 day lag until photosynthetic onset. These time lag differences reflect efficient cold season adaptation in tundra shrub and the longer dehardening period for boreal evergreens. Despite the short transition from thaw to photosynthetic onset in tundra, synchrony of tundra respiration with snow melt and landscape thaw delays the transition from net carbon loss (at photosynthetic onset) to net uptake by 13 ± 7 days, thus reducing the tundra net carbon uptake period. Two global CO₂ inversions using a CASA‐GFED model prior estimate earlier northern high latitude net carbon uptake compared to our regional inversion, which we attribute to (i) early photosynthetic‐onset model prior bias, (ii) inverse method (scaling factor + optimization window), and (iii) sparsity of available Alaskan CO₂ observations. Another global inversion with zero prior estimates the same timing for net carbon uptake as the regional model but smaller seasonal amplitude. The analysis of Alaskan eddy covariance observations confirms regional scale findings for tundra, but indicates that photosynthesis and net carbon uptake occur up to 1 month earlier in evergreens than captured by models or CO₂ inversions, with better correlation to above‐freezing air temperature than date of primary thaw. Further collection and analysis of boreal evergreen species over multiple years and at additional subarctic flux towers are critically needed.     

Modelling carbon balances of coastal arctic tundra under changing climate

Rising air temperatures are believed to be hastening heterotrophic respiration (R_h) in arctic tundra ecosystems, which could lead to substantial losses of soil carbon (C). In order to improve confidence in predicting the likelihood of such loss, the comprehensive ecosystem model ecosys was first tested with carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes measured over a tundra soil in a growth chamber under various temperatures and soil‐water contents (θ). The model was then tested with CO₂ and energy fluxes measured over a coastal arctic tundra near Barrow, Alaska, under a range of weather conditions during 1998–1999. A rise in growth chamber temperature from 7 to 15 °C caused large, but commensurate, rises in respiration and CO₂ fixation, and so no significant effect on net CO₂ exchange was modelled or measured. An increase in growth chamber θ from field capacity to saturation caused substantial reductions in respiration but not in CO₂ fixation, and so an increase in net CO₂ exchange was modelled and measured. Long daylengths over the coastal tundra at Barrow caused an almost continuous C sink to be modelled and measured during most of July (2–4 g C m^?2 d^?1), but shortening daylengths and declining air temperatures caused a C source to be modelled and measured by early September (～1 g C m^?2 d^?1). At an annual time scale, the coastal tundra was modelled to be a small C sink (4 g C m^?2 y^?1) during 1998 when average air temperatures were 4 °C above normal, and a larger C sink (16 g C m^?2 y^?1) during 1999 when air temperatures were close to long‐term normals. During 100 years under rising atmospheric CO₂ concentration (C_a), air temperature and precipitation driven by the IS92a emissions scenario, modelled R_h rose commensurately with net primary productivity (NPP) under both current and elevated rates of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, so that changes in soil C remained small. However, methane (CH₄) emissions were predicted to rise substantially in coastal tundra with IS92a‐driven climate change (from ～20 to ～40 g C m^?2 y^?1), causing a substantial increase in the emission of CO₂ equivalents. If the rate of temperature increase hypothesized in the IS92a emissions scenario had been raised by 50%, substantial losses of soil C (～1 kg C m^?2) would have been modelled after 100 years, including additional emissions of CH₄.     

High arctic heath soil respiration and biogeochemical dynamics during summer and autumn freeze‐in – effects of long‐term enhanced water and nutrient supply

In High Arctic NE Greenland, temperature and precipitation are predicted to increase during this century, however, relatively little information is available on the role of increased water supply on soil CO ₂ efflux in dry, high arctic ecosystems. We measured soil respiration (R_soil) in summer and autumn of 2009 in combination with microbial biomass and nutrient availability during autumn freeze‐in at a dry, open heath in Zackenberg, NE Greenland. This tundra site has been subject to fully factorial manipulation consisting of increased soil water supply for 14 years, and occasional nitrogen (N) addition in pulses. Summer watering enhanced R_soil during summer, but decreased R_soil in the following autumn. We speculate that this is due to intensified depletion of recently fixed plant carbon by soil organisms. Hence, autumn soil microbial activity seems tightly linked to growing season plant production through plant‐associated carbon pools. Nitrogen addition alone consistently increased R_soil, but when water and nitrogen were added in combination, autumn R_soil declined similarly to when water was added alone. Despite several freeze‐thaw events, the microbial biomass carbon (C) remained constant until finally being reduced by ~60% in late September. In spite of significantly reduced microbial biomass C and phosphorus (P), microbial N did not change. This suggests N released from dead microbes was quickly assimilated by surviving microbes. We observed no change in soil organic matter content after 14 years of environmental manipulations, suggesting high ecosystem resistance to environmental changes.