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

Title: Using Stable Carbon Isotopes of Seasonal Ecosystem Respiration to Determine Permafrost Carbon Loss

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004619· OSTI ID:1489548

Abstract High latitude warming and permafrost thaw will expose vast stores of deep soil organic carbon (SOC) to decomposition. Thaw also changes water movement causing either wetter or drier soil. The fate of deep SOC under different thaw and moisture conditions is unclear. We measured weekly growing‐season δ 13 C of ecosystem respiration (Recoδ 13 C) across thaw and moisture conditions (Shallow‐Dry; Deep‐Dry; Deep‐Wet) in a soil warming manipulation. Deep SOC loss was inferred from known δ 13 C signatures of plant shoot, root, surface soil, and deep soil respiration. In addition, a 2‐year‐old vegetation removal treatment (No Veg) was used to isolate surface and deep SOC decomposition contributions to Reco. In No Veg, seasonal Recoδ 13 C indicated that deep SOC loss increased as the soil column thawed, while in vegetated areas, root contributions appeared to dominate Reco. The Recoδ 13 C differences between Shallow‐Dry and Deep‐Dry were significant but surprisingly small. This most likely suggests that, under dry conditions, soil warming stimulates root and surface SOC respiration with a negative 13 C signature that opposes the more positive 13 C signal from increased deep SOC respiration. In Deep‐Wet conditions, Recoδ 13 C suggests reduced deep SOC loss but could also reflect altered diffusion or methane (CH 4 ) dynamics. Together, these results demonstrate that frequent Recoδ 13 C measurements can detect deep SOC loss and that plants confound the signal. In future studies, soil profile δ 13 C measurements, vegetation removal across thaw gradients, and isotopic effects of CH 4 dynamics could further deconvolute deep SOC loss via surface Reco.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; 259256; DE‐SC0014085; DE‐SC0006982
OSTI ID:
1489548
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1490761
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Vol. 124, Issue 1; ISSN 2169-8953
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 8 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (91)

Temperature sensitivity of organic matter decomposition of permafrost-region soils during laboratory incubations journal June 2016
Field information links permafrost carbon to physical vulnerabilities of thawing: C AND N VULERABLITIES OF THAWING journal August 2012
Soil moisture effects on the carbon isotope composition of soil respiration journal May 2010
Climate Warming Can Accelerate Carbon Fluxes without Changing Soil Carbon Stocks journal February 2017
Amino acid production exceeds plant nitrogen demand in Siberian tundra journal February 2018
Global Convergence in the Temperature Sensitivity of Respiration at Ecosystem Level journal July 2010
Tundra soil carbon is vulnerable to rapid microbial decomposition under climate warming journal February 2016
The concentration and isotopic abundances of carbon dioxide in rural and marine air journal July 1961
Climate change and the permafrost carbon feedback journal April 2015
ggplot2 book January 2009
Decomposition of old organic matter as a result of deeper active layers in a snow depth manipulation experiment journal January 2010
Adding Depth to Our Understanding of Nitrogen Dynamics in Permafrost Soils journal August 2018
Controls on ecosystem and root respiration across a permafrost and wetland gradient in interior Alaska journal December 2013
Soil CO 2 production in upland tundra where permafrost is thawing journal January 2010
Permafrost degradation stimulates carbon loss from experimentally warmed tundra journal March 2014
The unseen iceberg: plant roots in arctic tundra journal September 2014
Response of CO 2 exchange in a tussock tundra ecosystem to permafrost thaw and thermokarst development journal January 2009
Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes in a Peat Profile Are Influenced by Early Stage Diagenesis and Changes in Atmospheric CO2 and N Deposition journal January 2012
A pan-Arctic synthesis of CH 4 and CO 2 production from anoxic soil incubations journal March 2015
Experimental Warming Alters Productivity and Isotopic Signatures of Tundra Mosses journal May 2015
Root phenology in an Arctic shrub-graminoid community: the effects of long-term warming and herbivore exclusion journal June 2016
Detecting microbial N-limitation in tussock tundra soil: Implications for Arctic soil organic carbon cycling journal December 2012
Tundra ecosystems observed to be CO 2 sources due to differential amplification of the carbon cycle journal August 2013
Experimentally increased nutrient availability at the permafrost thaw front selectively enhances biomass production of deep-rooting subarctic peatland species journal July 2017
Physical and ecological changes associated with warming permafrost and thermokarst in Interior Alaska journal July 2009
Holocene Carbon Stocks and Carbon Accumulation Rates Altered in Soils Undergoing Permafrost Thaw journal November 2011
The Effects of Permafrost Thaw on Soil Hydrologic, Thermal, and Carbon Dynamics in an Alaskan Peatland journal November 2011
Fluxes and 13 C isotopic composition of dissolved carbon and pathways of methanogenesis in a fen soil exposed to experimental drought journal January 2008
Nitrogen availability increases in a tundra ecosystem during five years of experimental permafrost thaw journal February 2016
Ecosystem carbon storage in arctic tundra reduced by long-term nutrient fertilization journal September 2004
A numerical evaluation of chamber methodologies used in measuring the δ 13 C of soil respiration journal September 2009
Minimising methodological biases to improve the accuracy of partitioning soil respiration using natural abundance 13 C : Methods in partitioning soil respiration using natural abundance journal September 2014
Biomass offsets little or none of permafrost carbon release from soils, streams, and wildfire: an expert assessment journal March 2016
Permafrost thaw and resulting soil moisture changes regulate projected high-latitude CO 2 and CH 4 emissions journal September 2015
A satellite data driven biophysical modeling approach for estimating northern peatland and tundra CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes journal January 2014
The concentration and isotopic abundances of atmospheric carbon dioxide in rural areas journal January 1958
Environmental and physical controls on northern terrestrial methane emissions across permafrost zones journal November 2012
Modeling the impact of wintertime rain events on the thermal regime of permafrost journal January 2011
Permafrost thaw and soil moisture driving CO 2 and CH 4 release from upland tundra journal March 2015
Carbon isotopes in terrestrial ecosystem pools and CO 2 fluxes journal April 2008
The effect of permafrost thaw on old carbon release and net carbon exchange from tundra journal May 2009
Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4 journal January 2015
Pan-Arctic ice-wedge degradation in warming permafrost and its influence on tundra hydrology journal March 2016
Carbon Isotope Ratios in Belowground Carbon Cycle Processes journal April 2000
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
Long-term CO2 production following permafrost thaw journal July 2013
A frozen feast: thawing permafrost increases plant-available nitrogen in subarctic peatlands journal March 2012
Long-term experimental manipulation of winter snow regime and summer temperature in arctic and alpine tundra journal October 1999
The long-solved problem of the best-fit straight line: application to isotopic mixing lines journal January 2017
Decadal warming causes a consistent and persistent shift from heterotrophic to autotrophic respiration in contrasting permafrost ecosystems journal September 2015
Toward consistency between trends in bottom-up CO 2 emissions and top-down atmospheric measurements in the Los Angeles megacity journal January 2016
Estimated stocks of circumpolar permafrost carbon with quantified uncertainty ranges and identified data gaps journal January 2014
A laboratory comparison of two methods used to estimate the isotopic composition of soil δ 13 CO 2 efflux at steady state journal August 2008
Reduction of bias in static closed chamber measurement of δ13C in soil CO2 efflux journal January 2010
Belowground plant biomass allocation in tundra ecosystems and its relationship with temperature journal May 2016
On the isotopic composition of carbon in soil carbon dioxide journal November 1991
Isotopic composition of carbon dioxide from a boreal forest fire: Inferring carbon loss from measurements and modeling: ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION OF CARBON DIOXIDE FROM A BOREAL FOREST FIRE journal January 2003
Effects of experimental warming of air, soil and permafrost on carbon balance in Alaskan tundra: WARMING OF ALASKAN TUNDRA journal February 2011
On the Temperature Dependence of Soil Respiration journal June 1994
Sensitivity analysis and quantification of uncertainty for isotopic mixing relationships in carbon cycle research journal January 2006
Challenges in measuring the δ13C of the soil surface CO2 efflux journal December 2010
Mixed effects models and extensions in ecology with R book January 2009
Physical controls on the isotopic composition of soil-respired CO 2 journal January 2009
Factors Limiting Seasonal Growth and Peak Biomass Accumulation in Eriophorum Vaginatum in Alaskan Tussock Tundra journal March 1986
Carbon and hydrogen isotope systematics of bacterial formation and oxidation of methane journal September 1999
Methane production and oxidation potentials in relation to water table fluctuations in two boreal mires journal October 1999
Circumpolar assessment of permafrost C quality and its vulnerability over time using long-term incubation data journal October 2013
Plant Species Composition and Productivity following Permafrost Thaw and Thermokarst in Alaskan Tundra journal March 2007
Seasonal root growth in the arctic tussock tundra journal January 1980
Nonlinear CO 2 flux response to 7 years of experimentally induced permafrost thaw journal March 2017
Long-term warming effects on root morphology, root mass distribution, and microbial activity in two dry tundra plant communities in northern Sweden journal December 2007
The application and interpretation of Keeling plots in terrestrial carbon cycle research journal March 2003
Permafrost soils and carbon cycling journal January 2015
Old soil carbon losses increase with ecosystem respiration in experimentally thawed tundra journal October 2015
Thawing permafrost increases old soil and autotrophic respiration in tundra: Partitioning ecosystem respiration using δ 13 C and ∆ 14 C journal November 2012
Keeling plots are non‐linear in non‐steady state diffusive environments journal January 2009
Temperature response of soil respiration largely unaltered with experimental warming journal November 2016
Identifying the sources and uncertainties of ecosystem respiration in Arctic tussock tundra journal August 2014
Comparison of Independent Δ 14 CO 2 Records at Point Barrow, Alaska journal January 2013
Towards a rain-dominated Arctic journal March 2017
The hidden season: growing season is 50% longer below than above ground along an arctic elevation gradient journal September 2015
Increased plant productivity in Alaskan tundra as a result of experimental warming of soil and permafrost: Increased plant productivity in Alaskan tundra journal November 2011
Input of easily available organic C and N stimulates microbial decomposition of soil organic matter in arctic permafrost soil journal August 2014
Carbon respiration from subsurface peat accelerated by climate warming in the subarctic journal July 2009
Input of easily available organic C and N stimulates microbial decomposition of soil organic matter in arctic permafrost soil other January 2014
Amino acid production exceeds plant nitrogen demand in Siberian tundra other January 2018
Fluxes and 13 C isotopic composition of dissolved carbon and pathways of methanogenesis in a fen soil exposed to experimental drought journal January 2008
Permafrost soils and carbon cycling journal January 2014
Comparison of Independent Δ14CO2 records at Point Barrow, Alaska journal January 2013
Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4 text January 2015
Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models using lme4 preprint January 2014

Similar Records

Investigating Thaw and Plant Productivity Constraints on Old Soil Carbon Respiration From Permafrost
Journal Article · Wed Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences · OSTI ID:1489548

Experimental Soil Warming and Permafrost Thaw Increase CH4 Emissions in an Upland Tundra Ecosystem
Journal Article · Sun Oct 24 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences · OSTI ID:1489548

Drainage enhances modern soil carbon contribution but reduces old soil carbon contribution to ecosystem respiration in tundra ecosystems
Journal Article · Mon Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Global Change Biology · OSTI ID:1489548