skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Stoichiometry and temperature sensitivity of methanogenesis and CO 2 production from saturated polygonal tundra in Barrow, Alaska

Journal Article · · Global Change Biology
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12762· OSTI ID:1185515
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Biosciences Division
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Environmental Sciences Division
+ Show Author Affiliations

Abstract Arctic permafrost ecosystems store ~50% of global belowground carbon (C) that is vulnerable to increased microbial degradation with warmer active layer temperatures and thawing of the near surface permafrost. We used anoxic laboratory incubations to estimate anaerobic CO 2 production and methanogenesis in active layer (organic and mineral soil horizons) and permafrost samples from center, ridge and trough positions of water‐saturated low‐centered polygon in Barrow Environmental Observatory, Barrow AK , USA . Methane ( CH 4 ) and CO 2 production rates and concentrations were determined at −2, +4, or +8 °C for 60 day incubation period. Temporal dynamics of CO 2 production and methanogenesis at −2 °C showed evidence of fundamentally different mechanisms of substrate limitation and inhibited microbial growth at soil water freezing points compared to warmer temperatures. Nonlinear regression better modeled the initial rates and estimates of Q 10 values for CO 2 that showed higher sensitivity in the organic‐rich soils of polygon center and trough than the relatively drier ridge soils. Methanogenesis generally exhibited a lag phase in the mineral soils that was significantly longer at −2 °C in all horizons. Such discontinuity in CH 4 production between −2 °C and the elevated temperatures (+4 and +8 °C) indicated the insufficient representation of methanogenesis on the basis of Q 10 values estimated from both linear and nonlinear models. Production rates for both CH 4 and CO 2 were substantially higher in organic horizons (20% to 40% wt. C) at all temperatures relative to mineral horizons (<20% wt. C). Permafrost horizon (~12% wt. C) produced ~5‐fold less CO 2 than the active layer and negligible CH 4 . High concentrations of initial exchangeable Fe( II ) and increasing accumulation rates signified the role of iron as terminal electron acceptors for anaerobic C degradation in the mineral horizons.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1185515
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1401357
Journal Information:
Global Change Biology, Vol. 21, Issue 2; ISSN 1354-1013
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 65 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (65)

Field information links permafrost carbon to physical vulnerabilities of thawing: C AND N VULERABLITIES OF THAWING journal August 2012
Metagenomic Insights into Anaerobic Metabolism along an Arctic Peat Soil Profile journal May 2013
Microbial activity in soils frozen to below −39°C journal April 2006
Soil Organic Carbon Storage and Distribution in Arctic Tundra, Barrow, Alaska journal January 1999
Spatial variation in landscape-level CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes from arctic coastal tundra: influence from vegetation, wetness, and the thaw lake cycle journal July 2013
Vulnerability of Permafrost Carbon to Climate Change: Implications for the Global Carbon Cycle journal September 2008
An Arctic ecosystem : the coastal tundra at Barrow, Alaska book January 1980
Metagenomic analysis of a permafrost microbial community reveals a rapid response to thaw journal November 2011
Methanogenesis in Arctic Permafrost Habitats book January 2010
Contributions of matric and osmotic potentials to the unfrozen water content of frozen soils journal January 2009
Biogeochemistry of methane and methanogenic archaea in permafrost: Methane and methanogenic archaea in permafrost journal July 2007
Soil moisture control over autumn season methane flux, Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska journal January 2012
Significant contribution to climate warming from the permafrost carbon feedback journal September 2012
Equivalence of microbial biomass measures based on membrane lipid and cell wall components, adenosine triphosphate, and direct counts in subsurface aquifer sediments journal July 1988
Interactions between Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralization and Soil Organic Matter Chemistry in Arctic Tundra Soils journal March 2003
Response of anaerobic carbon cycling to water table manipulation in an Alaskan rich fen journal March 2013
Terrestrial Carbon–Cycle Feedback to Climate Warming journal December 2007
Vulnerability of high-latitude soil organic carbon in North America to disturbance journal January 2011
Reduction of iron (III) and humic substances plays a major role in anaerobic respiration in an Arctic peat soil journal January 2010
Environmental and physical controls on northern terrestrial methane emissions across permafrost zones journal November 2012
Water availability controls microbial temperature responses in frozen soil CO2 production: FROZEN SOILS AND UNFROZEN WATER journal November 2009
Potential carbon release from permafrost soils of Northeastern Siberia journal December 2006
Use of fluorochromes for direct enumeration of total bacteria in environmental samples: past and present. journal January 1994
Effects of unfrozen water on heat and mass transport processes in the active layer and permafrost journal January 2000
Microbial controls on methane fluxes from a polygonal tundra of the Lena Delta, Siberia journal January 2003
Methane fluxes during the initiation of a large-scale water table manipulation experiment in the Alaskan Arctic tundra: WATER TABLE IMPACTS ON METHANE FLUXES journal May 2009
Increased CO 2 loss from vegetated drained lake tundra ecosystems due to flooding : INCREASED TUNDRA CO journal April 2012
Biogeochemical activity of anaerobic microorganisms from buried permafrost sediments journal July 1998
The rate of permafrost carbon release under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and its potential effects on climate journal September 2011
Effects of temperature on the diversity and community structure of known methanogenic groups and other archaea in high Arctic peat journal November 2007
Hydrometer Method Improved for Making Particle Size Analyses of Soils1 journal January 1962
Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition and feedbacks to climate change journal March 2006
Enhanced terrestrial carbon uptake in the Northern High Latitudes in the 21st century from the Coupled Carbon Cycle Climate Model Intercomparison Project model projections journal February 2010
The Importance of “Deep” Organic Carbon in Permafrost-Affected Soils of Arctic Alaska journal January 2007
A process-based, climate-sensitive model to derive methane emissions from natural wetlands: Application to five wetland sites, sensitivity to model parameters, and climate journal September 2000
Relationship between temperature and growth rate of bacterial cultures. journal January 1982
Spatial variation of tundra soil organic carbon along the coastline of northern Alaska journal January 2010
Isolation and characterization of methylotrophic methanogens from anoxic marine sediments in Skan Bay, Alaska: description of Methanococcoides alaskense sp. nov., and emended description of Methanosarcina baltica journal November 2005
Methane production and consumption in temperate and subarctic peat soils: Response to temperature and pH journal March 1993
Stress response of methanogenic archaea from Siberian permafrost compared with methanogens from nonpermafrost habitats: Stress response of methanogenic archaea from permafrost journal July 2007
Studies on soil organic matter: Part III. The extraction of organic carbon and nitrogen from soil journal July 1949
Soils of the Barrow region, Alaska 1 journal July 2001
The circumpolar active layer monitoring (calm) program: Research designs and initial results 1 journal July 2000
Factors controlling large scale variations in methane emissions from wetlands: METHANE EMISSIONS FROM WETLANDS journal April 2003
Barriers to predicting changes in global terrestrial methane fluxes: analyses using CLM4Me, a methane biogeochemistry model integrated in CESM journal January 2011
Moisture control over atmospheric CH4 consumption and CO2 production in diverse Alaskan soils journal August 1998
Climate–Carbon Cycle Feedback Analysis: Results from the C 4 MIP Model Intercomparison journal July 2006
Circumpolar assessment of permafrost C quality and its vulnerability over time using long-term incubation data journal October 2013
Quantifying and relating land-surface and subsurface variability in permafrost environments using LiDAR and surface geophysical datasets journal December 2012
Characterisation of the Permafrost Carbon Pool: Permafrost Carbon journal April 2013
Effects of Temperature and Substrate Quality on Element Mineralization in Six Arctic Soils journal February 1991
Drilling, Coring, and Sampling Subsurface Environments book May 2007
Decadal variations of active-layer thickness in moisture-controlled landscapes, Barrow, Alaska journal January 2010
High stocks of soil organic carbon in the North American Arctic region journal August 2008
Spatial and temporal patterns of active layer thickness at Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) sites in northern Alaska, 1995–2000 journal January 2003
Both catabolic and anabolic heterotrophic microbial activity proceed in frozen soils journal November 2010
SIPRE Ice-Corer for Obtaining Samples from Permanently Frozen Bogs journal January 1963
Methane fluxes show consistent temperature dependence across microbial to ecosystem scales journal March 2014
Tundra Soils Formed over Ice Wedges, Northern Alaska1 journal January 1967
Lateglacial and Holocene isotopic and environmental history of northern coastal Alaska – Results from a buried ice-wedge system at Barrow journal December 2010
Soil organic carbon pools in the northern circumpolar permafrost region: SOIL ORGANIC CARBON POOLS journal June 2009
Plant species traits are the predominant control on litter decomposition rates within biomes worldwide journal October 2008
Environmental controls on CH4 emission from polygonal tundra on the microsite scale in the Lena river delta, Siberia: CONTROLS ON TUNDRA CH4 FLUX AND SCALING journal April 2010
Molecular investigations into a globally important carbon pool: permafrost-protected carbon in Alaskan soils journal February 2010
Barriers to predicting changes in global terrestrial methane fluxes: analyses using CLM4Me, a methane biogeochemistry model integrated in CESM journal January 2011

Cited By (11)

Determinants of carbon release from the active layer and permafrost deposits on the Tibetan Plateau journal October 2016
Methane production as key to the greenhouse gas budget of thawing permafrost journal March 2018
Impacts of temperature and soil characteristics on methane production and oxidation in Arctic tundra journal January 2018
Use of in-field bioreactors demonstrate groundwater filtration influences planktonic bacterial community assembly, but not biofilm composition journal March 2018
Modeling anaerobic soil organic carbon decomposition in Arctic polygon tundra: insights into soil geochemical influences on carbon mineralization journal January 2019
Landscape topography structures the soil microbiome in arctic polygonal tundra journal February 2018
Constraints on microbial communities, decomposition and methane production in deep peat deposits journal February 2020
Geochemical drivers of organic matter decomposition in arctic tundra soils journal December 2015
Effects of Grazing Pattern on Ecosystem Respiration and Methane Flux in a Sown Pasture in Inner Mongolia, China journal December 2018
Performance, kinetic, and biodegradation pathway evaluation of anaerobic fixed film fixed bed reactor in removing phthalic acid esters from wastewater journal February 2017
Microbial Community and Functional Gene Changes in Arctic Tundra Soils in a Microcosm Warming Experiment journal September 2017

Similar Records

Temporal, Spatial, and Temperature Controls on Organic Carbon Mineralization and Methanogenesis in Arctic High-Centered Polygon Soils
Journal Article · Mon Jan 11 00:00:00 EST 2021 · Frontiers in Microbiology · OSTI ID:1185515
+4 more
Impacts of temperature and soil characteristics on methane production and oxidation in Arctic tundra
Journal Article · Thu Nov 08 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Biogeosciences (Online) · OSTI ID:1185515
+3 more
Modeling anaerobic soil organic carbon decomposition in Arctic polygon tundra: insights into soil geochemical influences on carbon mineralization
Journal Article · Mon Feb 04 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Biogeosciences (Online) · OSTI ID:1185515
+3 more

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
anaerobic mineralization
methanogenesis
soil carbon
permafrost
Q10
tundra biogeochemistry
climate models