The effect of decreasing permafrost stability on ecosystem carbon in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
Abstract
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of decreased permafrost stability on carbon storage of the alpine ecosystems in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. During July and August 2013, we selected 18 sites in five types of permafrost (stable, substable, transitional, unstable, and extremely unstable) regions. We measured aboveground phytomass carbon (APC) and soil respiration (SR), soil inorganic carbon (SIC), soil organic carbon (SOC), belowground phytomass carbon, and soil properties down to 50 cm at same types of soils and grasslands. The results indicated that ecosystem carbon in cold calcic soils first decreased and then increased as the permafrost stability declined. Overall, decreasing permafrost stability was expected to reduce ecosystem carbon in meadows, but it was not obvious in swamp meadows and steppes. APC decreased significantly, but SIC and SOC in steppes first decreased and then increased with declining permafrost stability. Soil clay fraction and soil moisture were the controls for site variations of ecosystem carbon. The spatial variations in SR were possibly controlled by soil moisture and precipitation. Lastly, this meant that alpine ecosystems carbon reduction was strongly affected by permafrost degradation in meadows, but the effects were complex in swamp meadows and steppes.
- Authors:
-
[3];
- Hainan Univ., Haikou (China). Inst. of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry; Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou (China). Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, State Key Lab. of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou (China). Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, State Key Lab. of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Environmental Science Division and Climate Change Science Inst.
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); Scientific Research Foundation of Hainan University
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1468033
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Scientific Reports
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 8; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Citation Formats
Liu, Wenjie, Chen, Shengyun, Liang, Junyi, Qin, Xiang, Kang, Shichang, Ren, Jiawen, and Qin, Dahe. The effect of decreasing permafrost stability on ecosystem carbon in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-22468-6.
Liu, Wenjie, Chen, Shengyun, Liang, Junyi, Qin, Xiang, Kang, Shichang, Ren, Jiawen, & Qin, Dahe. The effect of decreasing permafrost stability on ecosystem carbon in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22468-6
Liu, Wenjie, Chen, Shengyun, Liang, Junyi, Qin, Xiang, Kang, Shichang, Ren, Jiawen, and Qin, Dahe. Thu .
"The effect of decreasing permafrost stability on ecosystem carbon in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22468-6. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1468033.
@article{osti_1468033,
title = {The effect of decreasing permafrost stability on ecosystem carbon in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau},
author = {Liu, Wenjie and Chen, Shengyun and Liang, Junyi and Qin, Xiang and Kang, Shichang and Ren, Jiawen and Qin, Dahe},
abstractNote = {The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of decreased permafrost stability on carbon storage of the alpine ecosystems in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. During July and August 2013, we selected 18 sites in five types of permafrost (stable, substable, transitional, unstable, and extremely unstable) regions. We measured aboveground phytomass carbon (APC) and soil respiration (SR), soil inorganic carbon (SIC), soil organic carbon (SOC), belowground phytomass carbon, and soil properties down to 50 cm at same types of soils and grasslands. The results indicated that ecosystem carbon in cold calcic soils first decreased and then increased as the permafrost stability declined. Overall, decreasing permafrost stability was expected to reduce ecosystem carbon in meadows, but it was not obvious in swamp meadows and steppes. APC decreased significantly, but SIC and SOC in steppes first decreased and then increased with declining permafrost stability. Soil clay fraction and soil moisture were the controls for site variations of ecosystem carbon. The spatial variations in SR were possibly controlled by soil moisture and precipitation. Lastly, this meant that alpine ecosystems carbon reduction was strongly affected by permafrost degradation in meadows, but the effects were complex in swamp meadows and steppes.},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-018-22468-6},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 8,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Mar 08 00:00:00 EST 2018},
month = {Thu Mar 08 00:00:00 EST 2018}
}
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Influences of the degradation of swamp and alpine meadows on CO2 emission during growing season on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
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Above- and belowground biomass allocation in Tibetan grasslands
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- Yang, Yuanhe; Fang, Jingyun; Ji, Chengjun
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Soil Respiration in Tibetan Alpine Grasslands: Belowground Biomass and Soil Moisture, but Not Soil Temperature, Best Explain the Large-Scale Patterns
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- Geng, Yan; Wang, Yonghui; Yang, Kuo
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Environmental correlates of peatland carbon fluxes in a thawing landscape: do transitional thaw stages matter?
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- Malhotra, A.; Roulet, N. T.
- Biogeosciences Discussions, Vol. 12, Issue 1
Effects of rodent-induced land degradation on ecosystem carbon fluxes in an alpine meadow in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China
journal, January 2015
- Peng, F.; Quangang, Y.; Xue, X.
- Solid Earth, Vol. 6, Issue 1