Impacts of temperature and soil characteristics on methane production and oxidation in Arctic tundra
Abstract
Abstract. Rapid warming of Arctic ecosystems accelerates microbial decomposition of soil organic matter and leads to increased production of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). CH4 oxidation potentially mitigates CH4 emissions from permafrost regions, but it is still highly uncertain whether soils in high-latitude ecosystems will function as a net source or sink for CH4 in response to rising temperature and associated hydrological changes. We investigated CH4 production and oxidation potential in permafrost-affected soils from degraded ice-wedge polygons on the Barrow Environmental Observatory, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, USA. Frozen soil cores from flat and high-centered polygons were sectioned into organic, transitional, and permafrost layers, and incubated at –2, +4 and +8°C to determine potential CH4 production and oxidation rates. Significant CH4 production was only observed from the suboxic transition layer and permafrost of flat-centered polygon soil. These two soil sections also exhibited highest CH4 oxidation potentials. Organic soils from relatively dry surface layers had the lowest CH4 oxidation potential compared to saturated transition layer and permafrost, contradicting our original assumptions. Low methanogenesis rates are due to low overall microbial activities measured as total anaerobic respiration and the competing iron-reduction process. Our results suggest that CH4 oxidation could offset CH4 production andmore »
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1481309
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1483193
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NGEE-Arctic; AC05-00OR22725
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Biogeosciences (Online)
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Biogeosciences (Online) Journal Volume: 15 Journal Issue: 21; Journal ID: ISSN 1726-4189
- Publisher:
- Copernicus Publications, EGU
- Country of Publication:
- Germany
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Citation Formats
Zheng, Jianqiu, RoyChowdhury, Taniya, Yang, Ziming, Gu, Baohua, Wullschleger, Stan D., and Graham, David E. Impacts of temperature and soil characteristics on methane production and oxidation in Arctic tundra. Germany: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.5194/bg-15-6621-2018.
Zheng, Jianqiu, RoyChowdhury, Taniya, Yang, Ziming, Gu, Baohua, Wullschleger, Stan D., & Graham, David E. Impacts of temperature and soil characteristics on methane production and oxidation in Arctic tundra. Germany. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6621-2018
Zheng, Jianqiu, RoyChowdhury, Taniya, Yang, Ziming, Gu, Baohua, Wullschleger, Stan D., and Graham, David E. Thu .
"Impacts of temperature and soil characteristics on methane production and oxidation in Arctic tundra". Germany. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6621-2018.
@article{osti_1481309,
title = {Impacts of temperature and soil characteristics on methane production and oxidation in Arctic tundra},
author = {Zheng, Jianqiu and RoyChowdhury, Taniya and Yang, Ziming and Gu, Baohua and Wullschleger, Stan D. and Graham, David E.},
abstractNote = {Abstract. Rapid warming of Arctic ecosystems accelerates microbial decomposition of soil organic matter and leads to increased production of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). CH4 oxidation potentially mitigates CH4 emissions from permafrost regions, but it is still highly uncertain whether soils in high-latitude ecosystems will function as a net source or sink for CH4 in response to rising temperature and associated hydrological changes. We investigated CH4 production and oxidation potential in permafrost-affected soils from degraded ice-wedge polygons on the Barrow Environmental Observatory, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, USA. Frozen soil cores from flat and high-centered polygons were sectioned into organic, transitional, and permafrost layers, and incubated at –2, +4 and +8°C to determine potential CH4 production and oxidation rates. Significant CH4 production was only observed from the suboxic transition layer and permafrost of flat-centered polygon soil. These two soil sections also exhibited highest CH4 oxidation potentials. Organic soils from relatively dry surface layers had the lowest CH4 oxidation potential compared to saturated transition layer and permafrost, contradicting our original assumptions. Low methanogenesis rates are due to low overall microbial activities measured as total anaerobic respiration and the competing iron-reduction process. Our results suggest that CH4 oxidation could offset CH4 production and limit surface CH4 emissions, in response to elevated temperature, and thus must be considered in model predictions of net CH4 fluxes in Arctic polygonal tundra. Future changes in temperature and soil saturation conditions are likely to divert electron flow to alternative electron acceptors and significantly alter CH4 production, which should also be considered in CH4 models.},
doi = {10.5194/bg-15-6621-2018},
journal = {Biogeosciences (Online)},
number = 21,
volume = 15,
place = {Germany},
year = {Thu Nov 08 00:00:00 EST 2018},
month = {Thu Nov 08 00:00:00 EST 2018}
}
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https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6621-2018
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Cited by: 24 works
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