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Title: Pathways and transformations of dissolved methane and dissolved inorganic carbon in Arctic tundra watersheds: Evidence from analysis of stable isotopes

Journal Article · · Global Biogeochemical Cycles
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GB005044· OSTI ID:1267037
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  3. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
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Arctic soils contain a large pool of terrestrial C and are of interest due to their potential for releasing significant carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) to the atmosphere. Due to substantial landscape heterogeneity, predicting ecosystem-scale CH 4 and CO 2 production is challenging. This study assessed dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC = Σ (total) dissolved CO 2 ) and CH 4 in watershed drainages in Barrow, Alaska as critical convergent zones of regional geochemistry, substrates, and nutrients. In July and September of 2013, surface waters and saturated subsurface pore waters were collected from 17 drainages. Based on simultaneous DIC and CH 4 cycling, we synthesized isotopic and geochemical methods to develop a subsurface CH 4 and DIC balance by estimating mechanisms of CH 4 and DIC production and transport pathways and oxidation of subsurface CH 4 . We observed a shift from acetoclastic (July) toward hydrogenotropic (September) methanogenesis at sites located toward the end of major freshwater drainages, adjacent to salty estuarine waters, suggesting an interesting landscape-scale effect on CH 4 production mechanism. The majority of subsurface CH 4 was transported upward by plant-mediated transport and ebullition, predominantly bypassing the potential for CH 4 oxidation. Thus, surprisingly, CH 4 oxidation only consumed approximately 2.51 ± 0.82% (July) and 0.79 ± 0.79% (September) of CH 4 produced at the frost table, contributing to < 0.1% of DIC production. DIC was primarily produced from respiration, with iron and organic matter serving as likely e- acceptors. This work highlights the importance of spatial and temporal variability of CH 4 production at the watershed scale and suggests broad scale investigations are required to build better regional or pan-Arctic representations of CH 4 and CO 2 production.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Work for Others (WFO); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1267037
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1440913
Journal Information:
Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 29, Issue 11; ISSN 0886-6236
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 30 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (6)

Aquatic export of young dissolved and gaseous carbon from a pristine boreal fen: Implications for peat carbon stock stability journal September 2017
Landscape topography structures the soil microbiome in arctic polygonal tundra journal February 2018
Stable Carbon Isotopes Reveal Soil‐Stream DIC Linkages in Contrasting Headwater Catchments journal January 2018
Plant functional group effects on peat carbon cycling in a boreal rich fen journal September 2019
Winter precipitation and snow accumulation drive the methane sink or source strength of Arctic tussock tundra journal May 2016
Active layer hydrology in an arctic tundra ecosystem: quantifying water sources and cycling using water stable isotopes: Active Layer Hydrology in the Arctic Coastal Plain journal August 2016

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