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Title: Geochemical drivers of organic matter decomposition in Arctic tundra soils

Journal Article · · Biogeochemistry
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Kent State Univ., Kent, OH (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
  4. Canadian Light Source, Saskatoon, SK (Canada)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Climate change is warming tundra ecosystems in the Arctic, resulting in the decomposition of previously-frozen soil organic matter (SOM) and release of carbon (C) to the atmosphere; however, the processes that control SOM decomposition and C emissions remain highly uncertain. In this study, we evaluate geochemical factors that influence anaerobic production of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in the active layers of four ice-wedge polygons. Surface and soil pore waters were collected during the annual thaw season over a two-year period in an area containing waterlogged, low-centered polygons and well-drained, high-centered polygons. We report spatial and seasonal patterns of dissolved gases in relation to the geochemical properties of Fe and organic C as determined using spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. Iron was present as Fe(II) in soil solution near the permafrost boundary but enriched as Fe(III) in the middle of the active layer, similar to dissolved aromatic-C and organic acids. Dissolved CH4 increased relative to dissolved CO2 with depth and varied with soil moisture in the middle of the active layer in patterns that were positively correlated with the proportion of dissolved Fe(III) in transitional and low-centered polygon soils but negatively correlated in the drier flat- and high-centered polygons. These results suggest that microbial-mediated Fe oxidation and reduction influence respiration/fermentation of SOM and production of substrates (e.g., low-molecular-weight organic acids) for methanogenesis. As a result, we infer that geochemical differences induced by water saturation dictate microbial products of SOM decomposition, and Fe geochemistry is an important factor regulating methanogenesis in anoxic tundra soils.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1235820
Journal Information:
Biogeochemistry, Vol. 126, Issue 3; ISSN 0168-2563
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 45 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (10)

Non‐cyanobacterial diazotrophs dominate nitrogen‐fixing communities in permafrost thaw ponds journal January 2020
Increasing Organic Carbon Biolability With Depth in Yedoma Permafrost: Ramifications for Future Climate Change journal July 2019
Evaluation of an untargeted nano-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry approach to expand coverage of low molecular weight dissolved organic matter in Arctic soil journal April 2019
Influence of pH on the balance between methanogenesis and iron reduction journal November 2018
Isotopic insights into methane production, oxidation, and emissions in Arctic polygon tundra journal June 2016
Life on the thermodynamic edge: Respiratory growth of an acetotrophic methanogen journal August 2019
The Controls of Iron and Oxygen on Hydroxyl Radical (•OH) Production in Soils journal December 2018
Impacts of temperature and soil characteristics on methane production and oxidation in Arctic tundra journal January 2018
Modeling anaerobic soil organic carbon decomposition in Arctic polygon tundra: insights into soil geochemical influences on carbon mineralization journal January 2019
Microbial Community and Functional Gene Changes in Arctic Tundra Soils in a Microcosm Warming Experiment journal September 2017

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Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
iron biogeochemistry
Tundra soil
active layer
soil organic matter
methane