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

Title: Assessing effects of permafrost thaw on C fluxes based on multiyear modeling across a permafrost thaw gradient at Stordalen, Sweden

Journal Article · · Biogeosciences (Online)
 [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [3]
  1. Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States)
  2. Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa ON (United States)
  3. Stockholm Univ. (Sweden)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Northern peatlands in permafrost regions contain a large amount of organic carbon (C) in the soil. Climate warming and associated permafrost degradation are expected to have significant impacts on the C balance of these ecosystems, but the magnitude is uncertain. We incorporated a permafrost model, Northern Ecosystem Soil Temperature (NEST), into a biogeochemical model, DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC), to model C dynamics in high-latitude peatland ecosystems. The enhanced model was applied to assess effects of permafrost thaw on C fluxes of a subarctic peatland at Stordalen, Sweden. DNDC simulated soil freeze–thaw dynamics, net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE), and CH4 fluxes across three typical land cover types, which represent a gradient in the process of ongoing permafrost thaw at Stordalen. Model results were compared with multiyear field measurements, and the validation indicates that DNDC was able to simulate observed differences in seasonal soil thaw, NEE, and CH4 fluxes across the three land cover types. Consistent with the results from field studies, the modeled C fluxes across the permafrost thaw gradient demonstrate that permafrost thaw and the associated changes in soil hydrology and vegetation not only increase net uptake of C from the atmosphere but also increase the annual to decadal radiative forcing impacts on climate due to increased CH4 emissions. This study indicates the potential of utilizing biogeochemical models, such as DNDC, to predict the soil thermal regime in permafrost areas and to investigate impacts of permafrost thaw on ecosystem C fluxes after incorporating a permafrost component into the model framework.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0004632
OSTI ID:
1602266
Journal Information:
Biogeosciences (Online), Vol. 11, Issue 17; ISSN 1726-4189
Publisher:
European Geosciences UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 26 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (69)

Growth-Limiting Nutrients in Sphagnum-Dominated Bogs Subject to Low and High Atmospheric Nitrogen Supply journal March 1992
Nutritional constraints on Sphagnum-growth and potential decay in northern peatlands journal April 2001
Thawing permafrost and thicker active layers in sub-arctic Sweden journal July 2008
Reduction in areal extent of high-latitude wetlands in response to permafrost thaw journal June 2011
Total hydrocarbon flux dynamics at a subarctic mire in northern Sweden journal January 2008
Annual carbon gas budget for a subarctic peatland, Northern Sweden journal January 2010
Systematic biases in large-scale estimates of wetland methane emissions arising from water table formulations: SYSTEMATIC BIASES IN METHANE EMISSIONS journal November 2010
A new climate era in the sub-Arctic: Accelerating climate changes and multiple impacts: CHANGING CLIMATE IN THE SUB-ARCTIC journal July 2010
Thawing sub-arctic permafrost: Effects on vegetation and methane emissions journal January 2004
Monitoring the Multi-Year Carbon Balance of a Subarctic Palsa Mire with Micrometeorological Techniques journal July 2012
Partitioning pathways of CO2 production in peatlands with stable carbon isotopes journal December 2012
Carbon respiration from subsurface peat accelerated by climate warming in the subarctic journal July 2009
Holocene radiative forcing impact of northern peatland carbon accumulation and methane emissions journal May 2007
How northern peatlands influence the Earth's radiative budget: Sustained methane emission versus sustained carbon sequestration journal January 2006
Peatlands in the Earth’s 21st century climate system journal December 2011
Revising a process-based biogeochemistry model (DNDC) to simulate methane emission from rice paddy fields under various residue management and fertilizer regimes: MODELING METHANE EMISSION FROM RICE FIELDS journal October 2007
Recent Changes in Arctic Vegetation: Satellite Observations and Simulation Model Predictions book January 2010
Annual cycle of methane emission from a subarctic peatland: CH
  • Jackowicz-Korczyński, Marcin; Christensen, Torben R.; Bäckstrand, Kristina
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 115, Issue G2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JG000913
journal May 2010
Multi-decadal degradation and persistence of permafrost in the Alaska Highway corridor, northwest Canada journal October 2013
What Determines the Current Presence or Absence of Permafrost in the Torneträsk Region, a Sub-arctic Landscape in Northern Sweden? journal June 2006
Decadal vegetation changes in a northern peatland, greenhouse gas fluxes and net radiative forcing journal December 2006
Three decades of global methane sources and sinks journal September 2013
Wetland development, permafrost history and nutrient cycling inferred from late Holocene peat and lake sediment records in subarctic Sweden journal February 2010
Permafrost carbon-climate feedbacks accelerate global warming journal August 2011
Modeling Trace Gas Emissions from Agricultural Ecosystems journal November 2000
Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from soils: Scientific basis and modeling approach journal August 2007
A model of nitrous oxide evolution from soil driven by rainfall events: 1. Model structure and sensitivity journal June 1992
A model of nitrous oxide evolution from soil driven by rainfall events: 2. Model applications journal June 1992
A process-oriented model of N 2 O and NO emissions from forest soils: 1. Model development journal February 2000
Manure-DNDC: a biogeochemical process model for quantifying greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from livestock manure systems journal May 2012
Variability in exchange of CO2 across 12 northern peatland and tundra sites: EXCHANGE OF CO2 IN WETLANDS journal December 2009
New terrestrial heat flow map of Europe after regional paleoclimatic correction application journal March 2010
Vegetation, climatic changes and net carbon sequestration in a North-Scandinavian subarctic mire over 30 years journal October 2005
Sensitivity of the carbon cycle in the Arctic to climate change journal November 2009
Model Evaluation Guidelines for Systematic Quantification of Accuracy in Watershed Simulations journal January 2007
Modelling microtopography in boreal peatlands: hummocks and hollows journal July 2003
Effects of permafrost and hydrology on the composition and transport of dissolved organic carbon in a subarctic peatland complex: DOC IN A SUBARCTIC PEATLAND COMPLEX journal January 2012
Net carbon accumulation of a high-latitude permafrost palsa mire similar to permafrost-free peatlands: CARBON BALANCE OF A SUBARCTIC PEATLAND journal February 2012
Environmental and physical controls on northern terrestrial methane emissions across permafrost zones journal November 2012
Carbon partitioning in a wet and a semiwet subarctic mire ecosystem based on in situ 14C pulse-labelling journal February 2011
Vascular plants as regulators of methane emissions from a subarctic mire ecosystem: VASCULAR PLANTS AS REGULATORS OF METHANE EMISSIONS journal November 2002
Accelerated thawing of subarctic peatland permafrost over the last 50 years journal January 2004
Permafrost-thaw-induced land-cover change in the Canadian subarctic: implications for water resources journal November 2010
Recent advances in permafrost modelling journal January 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
Estimating the near-surface permafrost-carbon feedback on global warming journal January 2012
Vulnerability of Permafrost Carbon to Climate Change: Implications for the Global Carbon Cycle journal September 2008
The effect of permafrost thaw on old carbon release and net carbon exchange from tundra journal May 2009
High risk of permafrost thaw journal November 2011
Disappearing Arctic Lakes journal June 2005
A process-oriented model of N 2 O and NO emissions from forest soils: 2. Sensitivity analysis and validation journal February 2000
Below ground carbon turnover and greenhouse gas exchanges in a sub-arctic wetland journal July 2007
Soil organic carbon pools in the northern circumpolar permafrost region: SOIL ORGANIC CARBON POOLS journal June 2009
Climate-soil processes in the presence of permafrost: a systems modelling approach journal October 1993
Integrating peatlands and permafrost into a dynamic global vegetation model: 1. Evaluation and sensitivity of physical land surface processes: PEATLANDS AND PERMAFROST IN LPJ, 1 journal August 2009
Integrating peatlands and permafrost into a dynamic global vegetation model: 2. Evaluation and sensitivity of vegetation and carbon cycle processes: PEATLANDS AND PERMAFROST IN LPJ, 2 journal August 2009
Greenhouse carbon balance of wetlands: methane emission versus carbon sequestration: Greenhouse carbon balance of wetlands journal November 2001
The Frozen Earth book January 2009
Some Comments on the Evaluation of Model Performance journal November 1982
Statistics for the evaluation and comparison of models journal January 1985
Global peatland dynamics since the Last Glacial Maximum: GLOBAL PEATLANDS SINCE THE LGM journal July 2010
An integrated model of soil, hydrology, and vegetation for carbon dynamics in wetland ecosystems: SOIL, HYDROLOGY, VEGETATION INTEGRATED MODEL journal October 2002
A process‐based model for quantifying the impact of climate change on permafrost thermal regimes journal November 2003
Soil temperature in Canada during the twentieth century: Complex responses to atmospheric climate change journal January 2005
Upscaling methane fluxes from closed chambers to eddy covariance based on a permafrost biogeochemistry integrated model journal December 2011
Modelling and mapping climate change impacts on permafrost at high spatial resolution for an Arctic region with complex terrain journal January 2013
Incorporation of a permafrost model into a large-scale ecosystem model: Evaluation of temporal and spatial scaling issues in simulating soil thermal dynamics journal December 2001
Methane fluxes between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere at northern high latitudes during the past century: A retrospective analysis with a process-based biogeochemistry model: METHANE EMISSIONS FROM NORTHERN HIGH LATITUDES journal August 2004
CO 2 and CH 4 exchanges between land ecosystems and the atmosphere in northern high latitudes over the 21st century journal January 2006

Cited By (6)

Winter precipitation and snow accumulation drive the methane sink or source strength of Arctic tussock tundra journal May 2016
Ecosystem carbon response of an Arctic peatland to simulated permafrost thaw journal February 2019
Bioethanol from poplar clone Imola: an environmentally viable alternative to fossil fuel? journal September 2015
Dissolved organic carbon in streams within a subarctic catchment analysed using a GIS/remote sensing approach journal July 2018
Microbial Community Structure and Methane Cycling Potential along a Thermokarst Pond-Peatland Continuum journal October 2019
Large carbon cycle sensitivities to climate across a permafrost thaw gradient in subarctic Sweden journal January 2019

Similar Records

Permafrost thaw driven changes in hydrology and vegetation cover increase trace gas emissions and climate forcing in Stordalen Mire from 1970 to 2014
Journal Article · Mon Dec 06 00:00:00 EST 2021 · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. A, Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences · OSTI ID:1602266
+6 more
Controls on Soil Organic Matter Degradation and Subsequent Greenhouse Gas Emissions Across a Permafrost Thaw Gradient in Northern Sweden
Journal Article · Mon Sep 28 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · Frontiers in Earth Science · OSTI ID:1602266
+6 more
Modeling impacts of changes in temperature and water table on C gas fluxes in an Alaskan peatland: Modeling C Gas Fluxes in Peatland
Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences · OSTI ID:1602266

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES