The burial of terrestrial organic carbon (terrOC) in marine sediments contributes to the regulation of atmospheric CO
on geological timescales and may mitigate positive feedback to present-day ...climate warming. However, the fate of terrOC in marine settings is debated, with uncertainties regarding its degradation during transport. Here, we employ compound-specific radiocarbon analyses of terrestrial biomarkers to determine cross-shelf transport times. For the World's largest marginal sea, the East Siberian Arctic shelf, transport requires 3600 ± 300 years for the 600 km from the Lena River to the Laptev Sea shelf edge. TerrOC was reduced by ~85% during transit resulting in a degradation rate constant of 2.4 ± 0.6 kyr
. Hence, terrOC degradation during cross-shelf transport constitutes a carbon source to the atmosphere over millennial time. For the contemporary carbon cycle on the other hand, slow terrOC degradation brings considerable attenuation of the decadal-centennial permafrost carbon-climate feedback caused by global warming.
Climate warming is predicted to translocate terrigenous organic carbon (TerrOC) to the Arctic Ocean and affect the marine biogeochemistry at high latitudes. The magnitude of this translocation is ...currently unknown, so is the climate response. The fate of the remobilized TerrOC across the Arctic shelves represents an unconstrained component of this feedback. The present study investigated the fate of permafrost carbon along the land–ocean continuum by characterizing the TerrOC composition in three different terrestrial carbon pools from Siberian permafrost (surface organic rich horizon, mineral soil active layer, and Ice Complex deposit) and marine sediments collected on the extensive East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS). High levels of lignin phenols and cutin acids were measured in all terrestrial samples analyzed indicating that these compounds can be used to trace the heterogeneous terrigenous material entering the Arctic Ocean. In ESAS sediments, comparison of these terrigenous biomarkers with other TerrOC proxies (bulk δ13C/Δ14C and HMW lipid biomarkers) highlighted contrasting across-shelf trends. These differences could indicate that TerrOC in the ESAS is made up of several pools that exhibit contrasting reactivity toward oxidation during the transport. In this reactive spectrum, lignin is the most reactive, decreasing up to three orders of magnitude from the inner- to the outer-shelf while the decrease of HMW wax lipid biomarkers was considerably less pronounced. Alternatively, degradation might be negligible while sediment sorting during the across-shelf transport could be the major physical forcing that redistributes different TerrOC pools characterized by different matrix-association.
Despite the marked decrease shown by lignin, the fingerprint of lignin phenols such as the acid:aldehyde ratio of vanillyl and syringyl phenols showed a lack of any across-shelf trends and exhibited an extremely wide range of values in all terrestrial samples. By contrast, the 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic:vanillyl phenols ratio exhibited a clear across-shelf trend suggesting either increasing degradation with distance from the coast or TerrOC sorting along the sediment dispersal system. The ratio of syringyl:vanillyl phenols indicated that gymnosperm tissues are more important than angiosperm tissues in surface sediments, in particular off the Lena River mouth, consistent with the vegetation in its watershed. Conversely, the fingerprint of p-hydroxybenzenes suggests lack of substantial input of moss-derived material. Finally, autochthonous lipid- and protein-derived CuO reaction products displayed a strong along-shelf gradient likely reflecting the inflow of nutrient-rich Pacific waters from the Bering Strait that stimulate primary productivity in the eastern ESAS. In particular short-chain fatty acids showed a clear frontal/transition zone between Pacific-influenced and river-influenced waters approximately along the 160°E longitude. Considering the labile nature of phytoplankton, priming and co-metabolism processes might stimulate degradation of TerrOC in the easternmost region of the Siberian shelf. This study demonstrated the need to consider multiple TerrOC proxies at isotopic/molecular levels to differentiate the fate for different allocthonous components in Arctic sediments and the need to assess how these TerrOC pools are distributed in different density, size, and settling fractions to better discriminate between the extent of hydrodynamic sorting versus degradation.
Abstract
Subsea permafrost represents a large carbon pool that might be or become a significant greenhouse gas source. Scarcity of observational data causes large uncertainties. We here use five ...21-56 m long subsea permafrost cores from the Laptev Sea to constrain organic carbon (OC) storage and sources, degradation state and potential greenhouse gas production upon thaw. Grain sizes, optically-stimulated luminescence and biomarkers suggest deposition of aeolian silt and fluvial sand over 160 000 years, with dominant fluvial/alluvial deposition of forest- and tundra-derived organic matter. We estimate an annual thaw rate of 1.3 ± 0.6 kg OC m
−2
in subsea permafrost in the area, nine-fold exceeding organic carbon thaw rates for terrestrial permafrost. During 20-month incubations, CH
4
and CO
2
production averaged 1.7 nmol and 2.4 µmol g
−1
OC d
−1
, providing a baseline to assess the contribution of subsea permafrost to the high CH
4
fluxes and strong ocean acidification observed in the region.
Abstract
Enhanced warming of the Northern high latitudes has intensified thermokarst processes throughout the permafrost zone. Retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS), where thaw-driven erosion caused by ...ground ice melt creates terrain disturbances extending over tens of hectares, represent particularly dynamic thermokarst features. Biogeochemical transformation of the mobilized substrate may release CO
2
to the atmosphere and impact downstream ecosystems, yet its fate remains unclear. The Peel Plateau in northwestern Canada hosts some of the largest RTS features in the Arctic. Here, thick deposits of Pleistocene-aged glacial tills are overlain by a thinner layer of relatively organic-rich Holocene-aged permafrost that aggraded upward following deeper thaw and soil development during the early Holocene warm period. In this study, we characterize exposed soil layers and the mobilized material by analysing sediment properties and organic matter composition in active layer, Holocene and Pleistocene permafrost, recently thawed debris deposits and fresh deposits of slump outflow from four separate RTS features. We found that organic matter content, radiocarbon age and biomarker concentrations in debris and outflow deposits from all four sites were most similar to permafrost soils, with a lesser influence of the organic-rich active layer. Lipid biomarkers suggested a significant contribution of petrogenic carbon especially in Pleistocene permafrost. Active layer samples contained abundant intrinsically labile macromolecular components (polysaccharides, lignin markers, phenolic and N-containing compounds). All other samples were dominated by degraded organic constituents. Active layer soils, although heterogeneous, also had the highest median grain sizes, whereas debris and runoff deposits consisted of finer mineral grains and were generally more homogeneous, similar to permafrost. We thus infer that both organic matter degradation and hydrodynamic sorting during transport affect the mobilized material. Determining the relative magnitude of these two processes will be crucial to better assess the role of intensifying RTS activity in CO
2
release and ecosystem carbon fluxes.
This study seeks an improved understanding of how matrix association affects the redistribution and degradation of terrigenous organic carbon (TerrOC) during cross‐shelf transport in the Siberian ...margin. Sediments were collected at increasing distance from two river outlets (Lena and Kolyma Rivers) and one coastal region affected by erosion. Samples were fractionated according to density, size, and settling velocity. The chemical composition in each fraction was characterized using elemental analyses and terrigenous biomarkers. In addition, a dual‐carbon‐isotope mixing model (δ13C and Δ14C) was used to quantify the relative TerrOC contributions from active layer (Topsoil) and Pleistocene Ice Complex Deposits (ICD). Results indicate that physical properties of particles exert first‐order control on the redistribution of different TerrOC pools. Because of its coarse nature, plant debris is hydraulically retained in the coastal region. With increasing distance from the coast, the OC is mainly associated with fine/ultrafine mineral particles. Furthermore, biomarkers indicate that the selective transport of fine‐grained sediment results in mobilizing high‐molecular weight (HMW) lipid‐rich, diagenetically altered TerrOC while lignin‐rich, less degraded TerrOC is retained near the coast. The loading (µg/m2) of lignin and HMW wax lipids on the fine/ultrafine fraction drastically decreases with increasing distance from the coast (98% and 90%, respectively), which indicates extensive degradation during cross‐shelf transport. Topsoil‐C degrades more readily (90 ± 3.5%) compared to the ICD‐C (60 ± 11%) during transport. Altogether, our results indicate that TerrOC is highly reactive and its accelerated remobilization from thawing permafrost followed by cross‐shelf transport will likely represent a positive feedback to climate warming.
Key Points
Sorting exerts first‐order control on redistribution of carbon pools over the Siberian margin
Plant debris accumulates inshore while mineral‐bound OC is transported offshore
Terrestrial organic matter is susceptible to intense degradation during cross‐shelf transport
Abstract
Major Arctic rivers are undergoing changes due to climate warming with higher discharge and increased amounts of solutes and organic carbon (OC) draining into rivers and coastal seas. ...Permafrost thaw mobilizes previously frozen OC to the fluvial network where it can be degraded into greenhouse gases and emitted to the atmosphere. Degradation of OC during downstream transport, especially of the particulate OC (POC), is however poorly characterized. Here, we quantified POC degradation in the Kolyma River, the largest river system underlain with continuous permafrost, during 9–15 d whole-water incubations (containing POC and dissolved OC—DOC) during two seasons: spring freshet (early June) and late summer (end of July). Furthermore, we examined interactions between dissolved and particulate phases using parallel incubations of filtered water (only DOC). We measured OC concentrations and carbon isotopes (δ
13
C, Δ
14
C) to define carbon losses and to characterize OC composition, respectively. We found that both POC composition and biodegradability differs greatly between seasons. During summer, POC was predominantly autochthonous (47%–95%) and degraded rapidly (∼33% loss) whereas freshet POC was largely of allochthonous origin (77%–96%) and less degradable. Gains in POC concentrations (up to 31%) were observed in freshet waters that could be attributed to flocculation and adsorption of DOC to particles. The demonstrated DOC flocculation and adsorption to POC indicates that the fate and dynamics of the substantially-sized DOC pool may shift from degradation to settling, depending on season and POC concentrations—the latter potentially acting to attenuate greenhouse gas emissions from fluvial systems. We finally note that DOC incubations without POC present may yield degradation estimates that do not reflect degradation in the
in situ
river conditions, and that interaction between dissolved and particulate phases may be important to consider when determining fluvial carbon dynamics and feedbacks under a changing climate.
The recent expansion of Atlantic waters into the Arctic Ocean represents undisputable evidence of the rapid changes occurring in this region. Understanding the past variability of this ...“Atlantification” is thus crucial in providing a longer perspective on the modern Arctic changes. Here, we reconstruct the history of Atlantification along the eastern Fram Strait during the past 800 years using precisely dated paleoceanographic records based on organic biomarkers and benthic foraminiferal data. Our results show rapid changes in water mass properties that commenced in the early 20th century—several decades before the documented Atlantification by instrumental records. Comparison with regional records suggests a poleward expansion of subtropical waters since the end of the Little Ice Age in response to a rapid hydrographic reorganization in the North Atlantic. Understanding of this mechanism will require further investigations using climate model simulations.
As part of the EuroSTRATAFORM project, a multi-proxy study was conducted in order to investigate origin, transport and deposition of riverine organic matter in the Gulf of Lions. Surface sediments ...(0–1 cm) from the Rhône prodelta area and along the sediment dispersal system were collected in September 2004 and in April 2005. Lignin, elemental and stable carbon isotopic analyses were carried out to characterize the source of sedimentary organic material and to facilitate evaluation of temporal and spatial variability. Large contrasts in the organic matter composition of prodelta sediments were observed as a result of the preferential transport of the finest material. In our hypothesis, woody debris, rich in organic matter, hydraulically behaves like very fine sand and is retained within the prodelta area. In contrast, the organic matter adsorbed onto finer particles is selectively transported away from the prodelta along the sediment dispersal system, explaining the distinct organic matter composition observed in the offshore regions.
We present the results of the tephrochronology study of a 14.49 m long marine sediment core (TR 17–08) collected in the Edisto Inlet, Ross Sea (Antarctica). The core contains four cryptotephra layers ...at 55–56, 512–513, 517–518, and 524–525 cm of depth, which have been characterised by a detailed description of the texture, mineral assemblage, and single glass shards major and trace element geochemistry. The age model of the investigated sedimentary sequence, based on radiocarbon dating, indicates that the topmost cryptotephra correlates with the widespread 1254 CE tephra erupted by a historical eruption (696 ± 2 cal yrs BP) of Mount Rittmann, in northern Victoria Land. Deeper cryptotephra layers were derived from previously unknown explosive eruptions of Mount Melbourne volcano and were emplaced between 1615 cal yrs BP and 1677 cal yrs BP, e.g. between the 3rd and 4th centuries CE. This discovery demonstrates that the Mount Melbourne volcanic complex has been highly active in historical times allowing significant progress in the current understanding of regional eruptive history. Moreover, from a tephrochronological point of view, the detected cryptotephra provide new regional isochron markers to facilitate high-precision correlations and help stratigraphically constrain changes in environmental and climatic conditions that are identified by multidisciplinary studies.
•Four cryptotephra were discovered in a piston core collected in the Edisto Inlet, Ross Sea (Antarctica).•The topmost cryptotephra is associated with the 1254 CE tephra marker from Mt. Rittmann volcano.•Mt. Melbourne volcano is the source of the lowermost tephra.•The tephra document historical eruptions of Mt. Melbourne that occurred between the 3rd and 4th centuries CE.•Excellent tephrostratigraphic markers for the Ross Sea and proxies for the paleo wind circulation of northern Victoria Land.
Abstract
The Bølling-Allerød interstadial (14,700–12,900 years before present), during the last deglaciation, was characterized by rapid warming and sea level rise. Yet, the response of the Arctic ...terrestrial cryosphere during this abrupt climate change remains thus far elusive. Here we present a multi-proxy analysis of a sediment record from the northern Svalbard continental margin, an area strongly influenced by sea ice export from the Arctic, to elucidate sea level - permafrost erosion connections. We show that permafrost-derived material rich in biospheric carbon became the dominant source of sediments at the onset of the Bølling-Allerød, despite the lack of direct connections with permafrost deposits. Our results suggest that the abrupt temperature and sea level rise triggered massive erosion of coastal ice-rich Yedoma permafrost, possibly from Siberian and Alaskan coasts, followed by long-range sea ice transport towards the Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean gateway. Overall, we show how coastal permafrost is susceptible to large-scale remobilization in a scenario of rapid climate variability.
PDF
