Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Iron (Oxyhydr)Oxides Serve as Phosphate Traps in Tundra and Boreal Peat Soils

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004776· OSTI ID:1530116
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5]
  1. Kent State Univ., Kent, OH (United States)
  2. Michigan Technical Univ., Houghton, MI (United States)
  3. USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, MN (United States)
  4. Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)
  5. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Arctic and boreal ecosystems are experiencing pronounced warming that is accelerating decomposition of soil organic matter and releasing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Future carbon storage in these ecosystems depends on the balance between microbial decomposition and primary production, both of which can be regulated by nutrients such as phosphorus. Phosphorus cycling in tundra and boreal regions is often assumed to occur through biological pathways with little interaction with soil minerals; that is, phosphate released from organic molecules is rapidly assimilated by plants or microorganisms. In contrast to this prevailing conceptual model, we use sequential extractions and spectroscopic techniques to demonstrate that iron (oxyhydr)oxides sequester approximately half of soil phosphate in organic soils from four arctic and boreal sites. Iron (III) (oxyhydr)oxides accumulated in shallow soils of low–lying, saturated areas where circumneutral pH and the presence of a redox interface promoted iron oxidation and hydrolysis. Soils enriched in short–range ordered iron oxyhydroxides, which are susceptible to dissolution under anoxic conditions, had high phosphate sorption capacities and maintained low concentrations of soluble phosphate relative to soils containing mostly organic–bound iron or crystalline iron oxides. Thus, substantial quantities of phosphorus in these organic soils were associated with minerals that could reduce bioavailability but potentially also serve as phosphorus sources under anoxic conditions. Furthermore, the implication of this finding is that mineral surfaces effectively compete with biological processes for phosphate and must be considered as a nutrient regulator in these sensitive ecosystems.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1530116
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1499787
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 124; ISSN 2169-8953
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (85)

Microtopographic and depth controls on active layer chemistry in Arctic polygonal ground: Polygonal Ground Chemistry journal March 2015
Arctic terrestrial hydrology: A synthesis of processes, regional effects, and research challenges: Arctic Terrestrial Hydrology journal March 2016
Assessing historical and projected carbon balance of Alaska: A synthesis of results and policy/management implications journal July 2018
Shrinking thermokarst ponds and groundwater dynamics in discontinuous permafrost near council, Alaska journal January 2003
Phosphorous in Boreal Peatlands book January 2006
Biological Phosphorus Cycling in Arctic and Alpine Soils book October 2010
Sequential extraction of phosphorus in freshwater wetland and lake sediment: Significance of humic acids journal December 1995
Re-flooding a Historically Drained Wetland Leads to Rapid Sediment Phosphorus Release journal February 2014
Relationships Among pH, Minerals, and Carbon in Soils from Tundra to Boreal Forest Across Alaska journal May 2016
Phosphorus Availability Determines the Response of Tundra Ecosystem Carbon Stocks to Nitrogen Enrichment journal December 2017
Quantifying and relating land-surface and subsurface variability in permafrost environments using LiDAR and surface geophysical datasets journal December 2012
Phosphorus Retention at the Redox Interface of Peatlands Adjacent to Surface Waters in Northeast Germany journal September 2004
The seasonal dynamics of amino acids and other nutrients in Alaskan Arctic tundra soils journal April 2005
Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry and microbial processing of organic matter in northern bogs and fens reveals a common P-limitation between peatland types journal May 2014
Geochemical drivers of organic matter decomposition in arctic tundra soils journal December 2015
Retention and removal of nitrogen and phosphorus in saturated soils of arctic hillslopes journal January 2016
Order from disorder: do soil organic matter composition and turnover co-vary with iron phase crystallinity? journal July 2018
The fate of phosphorus during pedogenesis journal January 1976
Voigt-based methods for arbitrary-shape static hyperfine parameter distributions in Mössbauer spectroscopy journal May 1991
Development of a sequential extraction procedure for iron: implications for iron partitioning in continentally derived particulates journal January 2005
XAS study of iron speciation in soils and waters from a boreal catchment journal January 2014
Coordination chemistry and hydrolysis of Fe(III) in a peat humic acid studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy journal January 2010
Influence of iron redox cycling on organo-mineral associations in Arctic tundra soil journal June 2017
The role of iron and reactive oxygen species in the production of CO2 in arctic soil waters journal March 2018
Iron speciation in peats: Chemical and spectroscopic evidence for the co-occurrence of ferric and ferrous iron in organic complexes and mineral precipitates journal January 2018
Ferrous Iron Oxidation under Varying pO 2 Levels: The Effect of Fe(III)/Al(III) Oxide Minerals and Organic Matter journal December 2017
Influence of pO 2 on Iron Redox Cycling and Anaerobic Organic Carbon Mineralization in a Humid Tropical Forest Soil journal June 2018
Anoxia-Induced Release of Colloid- and Nanoparticle-Bound Phosphorus in Grassland Soils journal October 2012
Dark Formation of Hydroxyl Radical in Arctic Soil and Surface Waters journal October 2013
Characterization of Iron(III) in Organic Soils Using Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy journal August 2008
Mixed Anion (Phosphate/Oxalate) Bonding to Iron(III) Materials journal February 2010
Al and Fe Biogeochemistry in a floodplain forest: Implications for P retention journal October 2000
Short-term response of methane fluxes and methanogen activity to water table and soil warming manipulations in an Alaskan peatland journal January 2008
Analysis of airborne LiDAR surveys to quantify the characteristic morphologies of northern forested wetlands journal January 2010
Reduction of iron (III) and humic substances plays a major role in anaerobic respiration in an Arctic peat soil journal January 2010
Microtopographic controls on ecosystem functioning in the Arctic Coastal Plain journal January 2011
Seasonal ice and hydrologic controls on dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations in a boreal-rich fen journal January 2010
Phosphorus Fractionation Responds to Dynamic Redox Conditions in a Humid Tropical Forest Soil journal September 2018
Recent change of Arctic tundra ecosystems from a net carbon dioxide sink to a source journal February 1993
Ecosystem carbon storage in arctic tundra reduced by long-term nutrient fertilization journal September 2004
The effect of permafrost thaw on old carbon release and net carbon exchange from tundra journal May 2009
Reduction in areal extent of high-latitude wetlands in response to permafrost thaw journal June 2011
Future productivity and carbon storage limited by terrestrial nutrient availability journal April 2015
Millennial scale persistence of organic carbon bound to iron in Arctic marine sediments journal January 2021
The long-term fate of permafrost peatlands under rapid climate warming journal December 2015
High resolution x‐ray absorption spectroscopy with absolute energy calibration for the determination of absorption edge energies journal March 1996
Permafrost carbon-climate feedbacks accelerate global warming journal August 2011
Iron traps terrestrially derived dissolved organic matter at redox interfaces journal June 2013
The impact of the permafrost carbon feedback on global climate journal August 2014
Terrestrial Ecosystems at Toolik Lake, Alaska book March 2014
Characteristics of Phosphate Adsorption-Desorption Onto Ferrihydrite: Comparison With Well-Crystalline Fe (Hydr)Oxides journal January 2013
ATHENA , ARTEMIS , HEPHAESTUS : data analysis for X-ray absorption spectroscopy using IFEFFIT journal June 2005
Stoichiometry and temperature sensitivity of methanogenesis and CO 2 production from saturated polygonal tundra in Barrow, Alaska journal November 2014
A decade of boreal rich fen greenhouse gas fluxes in response to natural and experimental water table variability journal January 2017
A Phosphate Sorption Index for Soils journal September 1971
Effects of crystallinity of goethite: II. Rates of sorption and desorption of phosphate journal March 1997
Sodium hypochlorite oxidation reduces soil organic matter concentrations without affecting inorganic soil constituents journal August 2005
Long-term responses to factorial, NPK fertilizer treatment by Alaskan wet and moist tundra sedge species journal September 1995
Microbial Iron Oxidation in the Arctic Tundra and Its Implications for Biogeochemical Cycling journal September 2015
Characterization of phosphorus in sequential extracts from lake sediments using 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy journal August 2006
Climate of the Tanana River floodplain near Fairbanks, Alaska journal May 1993
Role of Polar Amplification in Long-Term Surface Air Temperature Variations and Modern Arctic Warming journal July 2010
Bioavailable Soil Phosphorus Decreases with Increasing Elevation in a Subarctic Tundra Landscape journal March 2014
BIOMASS AND CO 2 FLUX IN WET SEDGE TUNDRAS: RESPONSES TO NUTRIENTS, TEMPERATURE, AND LIGHT journal February 1998
Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Mineralization in Northern Wetlands journal July 1998
Terrestrial phosphorus limitation: mechanisms, implications, and nitrogen–phosphorus interactions journal January 2010
Trajectory of the Arctic as an integrated system journal December 2013
Water Content book January 1986
Total Carbon, Organic Carbon, and Organic Matter book January 1996
Unbuffered and Buffered Salt Methods for Exchangeable Cations and Effective Cation-Exchange Capacity journal January 1990
Predicting Carbon Storage in Tundra Soils of Arctic Alaska journal January 2003
Predicting Carbon Storage in Tundra Soils of Arctic Alaska journal May 2003
Element Redistribution along Hydraulic and Redox Gradients of Low-Centered Polygons, Lena Delta, Northern Siberia journal January 2004
Phosphate Sorption in Aluminum- and Iron-Rich Humus Soils journal January 2005
Effects of Landscape Age on Soil Organic MatterProcessing in Northern Alaska journal January 2011
X-ray absorption spectroscopic study of Fe reference compounds for the analysis of natural sediments journal April 2004
Fundamentals of XAFS journal January 2014
Groundwater-Discharge Fens in the Tanana Lowlands, Interior Alaska, U.S.A. journal November 1994
Effects of Temperature and Substrate Quality on Element Mineralization in Six Arctic Soils journal February 1991
Responses of Arctic Tundra to Experimental and Observed Changes in Climate journal April 1995
Biogeochemical Diversity Along a Riverside Toposequence in Arctic Alaska journal February 1991
Phosphorus Cycling in Alaskan Coastal Tundra: A Hypothesis for the Regulation of Nutrient Cycling journal January 1978
Kinetic control of dissolved phosphate in natural rivers and estuaries: A primer on the phosphate buffer mechanism journal January 1988
Attaining whole-ecosystem warming using air and deep-soil heating methods with an elevated CO 2 atmosphere journal January 2017
Water-table height and microtopography control biogeochemical cycling in an Arctic coastal tundra ecosystem journal January 2012

Similar Records

Iron and iron-bound phosphate accumulate in surface soils of ice-wedge polygons in arctic tundra
Journal Article · Wed May 20 20:00:00 EDT 2020 · Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts · OSTI ID:1649274

Influence of iron redox cycling on organo-mineral associations in Arctic tundra soil
Journal Article · Fri Mar 24 20:00:00 EDT 2017 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · OSTI ID:1356942